Beaker's Gift
by Luigi's lover
Summary: When yet another experiment occurs at Muppet Labs - both Bunsen and Beaker are left to recover, as the experiment takes effect. Through a tale of science and friendship, Beaker learns that for the next 9 months, he was going to be carrying a gift.
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1 - The Fertility Pill**

January's forecast of rain, slosh and snow began to take effect on the new year, as the raindrops pelted on the roof of Muppet Labs, as if Animal was on the roof performing a wild drum solo. Inside, however, it was of great contrast to outside, where the weather soaked you right through or slapped you round the face with a gust of wind. Inside was toasty, warm and most motivating, as inside Muppet Labs, it was clear that Dr. Bunsen Honeydew and his loyal assistant Beaker were yet again going to prove that science can change the world.

All eyes were on the warm and friendly face of Dr. Bunsen Honeydew and his trusted but timid assistant Beaker, as the doctor proudly announced his latest and greatest experiment yet.

"Dr. Bunsen Honeydew here at Muppet Labs, where the future is being made today. And we're proud to announce that we've just invented a new and able pill that will induce fertility with high chance that the offspring will resemble the mother almost perfectly. The revelation will mean no need for a man to be involved in the procedure."

The green-faced doctor held the half-blue-half-pink pill in front of him as he explained. "And to test this lovely new invention - my assistant, Beaker - will do the honour. Ah, but of course, you see the chance of no effect, but you never really be sure unless you try!"

Beaker's nerves nearly forced him to faint, but then what harm could a fertility pill do? He's just a guy - it's girls that will get an effect. Then Beaker realized that Bunsen sounded very pleased about success - his amusement towards his assistant's pain.

'This wasn't happening,' Beaker thought as he gawped at the pill with very wide eyes indeed.

"So Beaker, what are you waiting for?" the doctor said consistently, holding the pill out to him. Beaker meeped a desperate refusal, but Bunsen then saw his chance - he slipped the pill in as Beaker cried out for help.

That was it - no going back now.

"Within the next few days, we should be able to provide results for this experiment. Thank you for listening and goodnight!" When Bunsen had been given the "sketch-end" cue, he turned to his assistant and smiled with sheer glee. Beaker, however, helplessly stared at his "friend", and meeped to the doctor about the fact that there were other girls. This was followed by a reply of, "I've already told you, Beaker, Pipette is off sick - and no-one else is willing to test it for us."

Beaker sunk his thin head into his shirt and stared at his abdomen in defeat - 'Why me?'

Moments later, after Beaker had downheartedly reminisced of the times when he had been the "guinea-pig" who had no say, he tried to replace those thoughts with the questions and wonders of what this experiment might bring. What would Beaker have to go through if the experiment is a success? Could this experiment provide the world with more scientific knowledge? How's Beaker going to react?

Beaker was brought out of this trance by the look of bewilderment on the doctor's face, "Are you all right, Beaker, you seem awfully confused?"

Beaker gave Bunsen a positive meep in answer to his question.

The doctor looked at Beaker in such a way that he was able to read him like a book. "Oh, I know you all too well, Beaker - it's clear that you're not all right." The doctor put a hand to his assistant's shoulder, "It's about the experiment, isn't it? I understand you're worried and scared and confused, and that's very normal for someone like you." Bunsen's voice sounded very quivery - and he was worried too, but then with a leap of confidence, he said, "But it's going to be okay, and even if something goes wrong, I'll be there for you."

That remark just about gave Beaker the confidence he needed to smile at his friend, that was very sweet of Bunsen to say that - but then again, what _will_ go wrong? Oh yeah, the fact that Beaker just might be expecting the pitter-patter of tiny little Muppet feet, and if that wasn't enough - there was the huge fact that Beaker had to give birth to him or her. But that was just a chance - like it's ever going to happen. Beaker's mind was going crazy, with things left, right and weird - and the only grown-up thing to do here was to chill out - and wait until tomorrow, or whenever those results would come. Though still deep in thought, Beaker got on with the rest of the day.

**A/N: If any of you guys were wondering who Pipette is, she's my OC. And, yeah, feel free to comment. **


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2 - The Days Of Hell To Follow**

It was a cloudy, average morning, when the assistant of Dr. Bunsen Honeydew stepped into the lab for another day at work. Beaker's eyes were fixed on the doctor, but this was no ordinary stare, it was a full-on, pissed off glare of vengeful hatred.

"It's going to be okay," he said.

"That's very normal," he said.

In Beaker's eyes those weren't true, it was not okay, and it was certainly not normal. Beaker's last night was a living hell - nothing was how he had planned it to be, it was all a bit painful and stressful. Beaker's views on last night were interrupted by the somewhat merry doctor.

"Good morning, Beaker, lovely morning, isn't it? Oh - and I trust everything was OK last night?"

Beaker stared at Bunsen with a look that said "About last night…".

With that received, Bunsen quickly replied, "Oh, so it wasn't exactly how you planned, eh?"

Beaker shook his head honestly. Bunsen grabbed a pen and note pad, and begin to list what Beaker had said he was experiencing.

"Oookay… this _is_ interesting. I'll have to research this…"

Moments later, footsteps could be heard, causing the two scientists to turn to the door. It was Pipette, another scientist who had joined them recently. Pipette turned to the boys, "Morning Bunsen," she said merrily.

"Oh - good morning, Pipette, I trust you've gotten over that dreadful cold."

"Yep, all better now," she turned to the other man, "Oh - hi, Beaker… n-nice tie…" Pipette stuttered, blushing. Ever since she met Beaker, she always felt weird around him. She felt a feeling she could never describe. Beaker went red too.

Over the next six days, Beaker had experienced the same things, all of which went down repeatedly on Bunsen's note pad. On the seventh day, exactly one week from the time the experiment took place, another weird thing happened, Beaker started getting morning sickness. This could only mean one thing - the results are in!

Yes, so on the seventh day, Bunsen declared it was time for the results to come in… on another episode of "Muppet Labs"!

**A/N: So, there it is - the second chapter! And, like, sorry it's so short - I promise I will upload a longer chapter some time, anyways - enjoy! And like I said last time, reviews are always welcome. Bye for now. **


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3 - The Results Are In!**

It was exactly a week after the "Fertility Pill" experiment took place in Muppet Labs. Bunsen was finishing up on another experiment, Pipette was doing some scientific research, and Beaker was stood there, trembling. He was literally shaking with nerves, and in his hand he held a used pregnancy test, with several symbols on it he couldn't understand, as the box was in Bunsen's possession.

The trusted doctor walked over to Beaker with the box to the test, "What about the test then, Beakie?" he said, holding out his hand as Beaker shyly handed the used test to his faithful friend, shaking. "Oh, Beaker, don't worry, okay? To be honest, if anything it might have failed and you may just have a stomach bug or something, but you don't have a fever… strange…" Bunsen assured. "Anyway, I best check just to make sure."

As he silently checked the instruction for the results, Beaker still felt nervous. Something was up. But the reassurance from Bunsen gave him enough confidence to smile, and with that he put his hand over his abdomen and felt ready to face the results.

"Oh my!" Bunsen said out loud, his hand covering an ecstatic smile.

"What's wrong, Bunsen?" Pipette asked suddenly, rushing over.

"It's Beaker! He's - he's pregnant! The experiment worked!" Bunsen cried, hugging both of his assistants in joy.

The results brought a small tear to Pipette's eye; she couldn't believe it - she thought Beaker was amazing.

Beaker, on the other hand, was really, REALLY shocked - he's never experienced this before; getting pregnant - this is gonna mean big changes.

**A/N: Hi, guys, I'm back! And, like, sorry again for the short chapter… I promise the next one is a bit longer. Honestly, I've checked. So, Beaker's pregnant - what do you guys think? As always, reviews are welcome. **


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4 - Taking The News**

On that same day, Beaker went from quivering to doing some research with Pipette. Bunsen, however, was still really excited, "Well, I'm off to tell Kermit and the others of the success today!" he declared joyfully.

Pipette looked over, "OK," she responded, and turned back to her research with Beaker. "So…" she said, looking at him, "Pregnant, huh? Wow, that's some achievement. My friend says pregnancy is Ok, but she says the birth part hurts the most - but, don't worry - I'm sure you'll pull through OK."

Beaker put his hand on his now aching abdomen, he was convinced this pain was OK, after all - it had been happening for the past six days, "Meep." He hoped so too.

Back with Bunsen, however, who was rushing off to find Kermit. On his way, he spotted The Muppet Show's house band, Dr. Teeth and the Electric Mayhem, and decided he'd break the news to them first. When Bunsen came over, Floyd was the first one to look up, "Bunsen? Wait - what do you want with us? I swear to God - Animal didn't mean to break the table-" Floyd stammered on.

"It's not about that - I have some news!" Bunsen interrupted.

"I'm listening,"

"The experiment with the Fertility Pill - it actually worked - Beaker is now exactly one week pregnant!"

"Heh-heh! That's great, Bunsen. And congratulations to Beaker, too!"

"Yeah, like, wow a new baby - like, how fun!" Janice answered, smiling as always.

"Congratulations, huh?" said Zoot, acting cool. Lips, as quiet as he is, gave a silent nod of approval to the excited doctor.

"I'm really happy for you, man." said Dr. Teeth, calmly speaking for the whole of the group.

"New Baby! New Baby!" Animal chimed in.

The doctor smiled at them, "Thank you for that." he said, and he continued his search for Kermit.

Back at Muppet Labs, Beaker and Pipette were sitting together, still working on research. Beaker still had his hand on his aching abdomen, when Pipette turned to him, "If I did some maths, I could work out how long you have left." she said, now looking deep in thought. After a while she turned back to her friend and said, "…Okay, so I've thought about it, and the baby should come in about thirty five weeks…" Pipette then put her hand on top of Beaker's, feeling the baby with him and going red with Beaker, "…and it's going to be OK."

Bunsen, now roaming the theatre, continued on his search for Kermit, when at last he found him, talking to Gonzo.

"Gonzo, could you please find Rowlf, I don't have time to read your script!" Kermit yelled above the ruckus.

"OK, but you're missing out!" Gonzo yelled back.

"Greetings, Mr. Kermit, I am delighted to say that I have some news!"

"Not now Bunsen, I'm sorry but I'm busy - tell me later."

"But it's a scientific breakthrough!"

"OK, go on then."

"The Fertility Pill experiment actually worked - Beaker's pregnant!" the doctor said in joy.

"Bunsen! That-that's wonderful - congratulations!" Kermit cried.

The news had also stopped someone else dead in their tracks, "Beaker's having a baby? Cool!" cried Gonzo excitedly.

"How far along is he, Bunsen?" asked Kermit.

"One week exactly, Mr. Kermit!" replied Bunsen.

Kermit calmed himself down a bit, "Well Bunsen, I can safely say I believed in all three of you."

With that, Bunsen cheerfully made it back to the lab, where Beaker and Pipette were still touching hands and feeling the baby together. They felt weird around each other, but this baby made it seem even weirder.

**A/N: I promised you the next the chapter would be longer! So, what do you think, now that Beaker and Pipette are getting closer? And I also give my apologies for the chapter being a whole week late! Reviews are always welcome!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5 - Internal****Weights**

That night, when Beaker went home, he felt weird; not only because there was a baby inside him, causing his back and abdomen to ache quite a bit – but he thought about Pipette and what had happened that day. Why did she put her hand over Beaker's – what made her do that? Yeah, they were good friends – best friends, even – but they both meant something a little different to one another. Not the usual friendship of one person to another – they both acted innocent, like good friends would – but the feeling of anything; movement, breathing, words – was just so intense.

Every time Beaker or Pipette moved, that weird feeling that they both felt caused one of them to make the "next move" – making just an innocent situation feel so intruded and close.

Every time one of them spoke, it made them both go red, bringing a severe swarm of butterflies to both their stomachs – then it would go silent. The weirdness surrounding them made the next thing hard to say.

Even when one of them breathed, it was like an entire atmosphere of intensity – keeping the both of them still and quiet – nothing in their weakened reach could unfreeze them from this trance, except maybe Bunsen.

Everything was confusing for Beaker when he was away from Pipette – he thought the world of her, she was sweet; kind; funny – the perfect friend. But when he was near her, his heart would race, his palms would sweat, his voice would be uneasy – but the complications of Beaker's friendship with her would soon be understood. If anything was true to Beaker at that point in time, would be the weird and wonderful feeling he felt whenever he looked in her eyes.

At about the same time Beaker left the Lab to go home, Pipette left too. She made her way out of the Muppet Theatre, saying goodbye to Kermit and avoiding the comments of Statler and Waldorf – thoughts buzzing through her mind. Her mind was soon focused on that one thing when she stood still in the pouring rain, waiting for the bus. She stared out into the foggy road, 'What a great day…' she thought, sighing; her breath fading into the atmosphere. That one thing you ask? Beaker. She was his best friend, there for him in every way. Her nature towards him was sweet and innocent, but friendly and close. Sometimes she acts as though she's even just met him, other times she just makes the "first move" and things quickly turn mushy. She never knew why.

Suddenly, a stopping noise dispersed the thoughts from her head and she looked up. The bus was here. As Pipette took her seat next to a window, she casually eyed the fog, and the houses behind it. Thinking about it, each house was like a boy Pipette had once dated, and then time went on, and she passed her charms onto another boy. The list went on and the houses faded into the dark, until one caught her attention – probably due to the fact that the Christmas lights were still up. It stayed in her gaze for a while, but then even when it was gone, Pipette still thought of the image, admiring the house's bright beauty. She was then caught up in her little daydream when she realized. It was like Beaker. She met him; got to know him – but when he was gone – she just kept on thinking about him.

It brought her back to the times when they were in the lab together, doing some scientific thing or another. The times when they caught each other's eye, and time stopped. The times when she spoke to him, and life itself froze. The times when their hands touched, and the room was left muted. He meant everything to her. Their time together was like a rollercoaster, and their time apart was like a drifting sea of memories. The explanation to this was still a mystery to them both. This situation was all too confusing for Pipette, as Beaker was her best friend – and whenever she looked into those shocked Muppet eyes it felt right and no-one else could ever make her feel the same.

With all the usual things, both said and dome, Pipette got off the bus as it stopped and headed for home.

**A/N: Well there it is – Chapter 5 – and sorry I took so long in uploading it. To make a long story short, I am now uploading my work at school. Oh yeah, and I do warn you, the next chapter will be very long so I am advising you – to drink coffee because it will keep awake! Ahem, and now that that's out of my system – please read and review! **


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6 – Good News Spreads Fast**

Over the past three week, the news of the successful experiment spread round the Muppet theatre like wild fire, seriously, when one knew about it – someone else also knew within the next few seconds. Everyone had something to say – but what?

If anyone was scientifically wise – it would be Dr. Bunsen Honeydew, and if anyone had their view – so did he. Bunsen's main focus was the success of his experiment – the joy he felt knowing that something of his actually worked. With this officiated, Muppet Labs was actually going to get somewhere – instead of back to the old drawing board.

His other focus was of the close relationship of his two assistants. He had been observing the two recently and it has come to his attention that they were, in his words, "awfully close". They worked great together in the lab, but there was something about them that Bunsen couldn't quite put his finger on. It wasn't much of a platonic friendship that Beaker and Pipette shared, more of a close platonic one. Bunsen wondered, and like any other Muppet, he had questions that just needed to be answered. 'Will the experiment go as planned? What kind of friendship do Beaker and Pipette share – or is it something more?' All Bunsen could do at that moment in time was look back, or wait until tomorrow…

Also deep in thought, everyone's favourite amphibian, Kermit the Frog also had his views. As Kermit sat alone in the Muppet theatre on the edge of the stage – he kept thinking, 'Wow! Something actually worked in that lab, I guess the Muppets aren't cursed after all, unlike what Uncle Deadly says. I'm only hoping that the experiment will go to plan and Beaker won't end up hurt, and I'm only guessing that good things take time – and in this case, they have. Or maybe good things come in threes – that means only two more good things to come.' Kermit thought as he stared at the empty audience. The lonely amphibian ran his thin, green fingers down the upper body of his banjo and grasped it, feeling a surge of confident musical energy. The reason he hoped for the luck was because although the Muppets had a theatre and even their own show – it still wasn't enough – what he wanted was far more than fame. He wanted to make the world happy. But it seemed much harder since Jim's departure. The success of the experiment was the first good thing that had happened to the Muppets in a while, since Jim had gone. Kermit regarded the experiment as a positive aspect of life, and wanted to sing. But just as he hoisted the banjo up to his body, he heard footsteps. Looking to his left, he saw the "love of his life", Miss Piggy and his five-year-old nephew, Robin walking up to him hand in hand. So, without further ado, he put the banjo down.

"Oh, hi, Piggy." Kermit said, releasing his grip from the banjo's upper body, as he turned to his feminine friend.

"Hi, Kermie. Well, as you can see, Robin and I have got our things and are ready to go."

"Yeah, Uncle Kermit, can we go?" asked the young frog, as he swung Miss Piggy's arm slightly.

"Yeah, yeah – just a sec, Robin, Piggy," he said, looking down at his feet, then he looked up, as if he was refreshing the scene, "you know, I've been thinking…"

"About what, Kermie?" asked the glamorous pig, hoping it was something to do with her.

"About the experiment. You know, it's been the first good thing that's happened to us since…you know…Jim. And I just hope that everything's gonna work out for them, and that even more good luck comes – that's if, it comes in threes."

"Oh yes, I totally understand, Kermie. That would be so nice if even more luck came…" the pig lied sweetly as she held Kermit's hand. It was emotionally clear that she didn't really understand, and to be honest, she couldn't really give a cheap shoe about Bunsen's work. She didn't care about science; all she cared about was her beloved Kermit the Frog.

Moments later, Robin piped up, "Uncle Kermit?"

"Yes, Robin?" Kermit asked, looking down at his sweet nephew.

"I hope more good things happen, especially for Beaker and Pipette."

Kermit looked down at Robin in a quizzical sort of way, "Who's Pipette? There's just so many of us, I sometimes lose track, you see?"

"She's that pretty lady who hangs around with Beaker in the Lab," answered Robin, smiling. "They seem really sweet, I think they like each other."

"Yes, Robin – I hope so, too. In fact, we should all hope for good things." Kermit finished, as the young frog pulled them into a tight group hug.

Meanwhile, along a quiet street just outside the Muppet theatre, a somewhat weird-looking Muppet had his views, too. This weirdo, you ask, is the one, the only – Gonzo the Great. And if Gonzo had something to say, he would either tell it in stunt form, or speak to his long-time chicken girlfriend, Camilla.

As they sat on a bench underneath the stars, Gonzo looked up, "What a beautiful night to spend with the one you love and review the day," he said, as the weirdo slunked his furry, blue Muppet arm around his girlfriend's white, feathery body. Camilla gave a soft cluck in return, as she nestled into Gonzo's fuzzy body.

The night sky enveloped them into a world of peace as they stared into the view of the quiet New York City. Moments later, Gonzo broke the silence with a question, "The night makes you think, huh, Camilla?" he said, looking down at his sweet girlfriend. "You know, about how the day as been and how we can make tomorrow." The silent atmosphere regrouped itself, as Camilla looked up at Gonzo, then back at the view; she loved him and a part of loving him meant listening to him. Camilla totally understood Gonzo and nothing could ever change their amazing chemistry – weird as it may be.

"You know, Camilla, call me crazy but what's happened today and just looking at the night sky with you just makes me feel so…inspired and alive! I don't know, but maybe this new baby that Beaker's having could mean…it's so hard to explain…it just makes me emotional, that's all." Gonzo said, breaking the silence again, but these words made Camilla speak up; she whispered into Gonzo's ear. Gonzo listened and then looked down at her and said, "You know, if I can tame this feeling I have for you, and we can have our own babies someday, huh?"

Yes, most other important Muppets had their say – but, who's missing, you ask? Well, we couldn't leave the bear out, now, could we? The day's events also affected Fozzie too, over the past few weeks – and he too had something to say.

'Wow, things sure are going to be different over the next few months. Beaker having a baby, now there's something you don't see everyday,' thought the comical bear, as he sifted through one of his joke books. His life would never be complete without comedy; and no matter how harsh Statler and Waldorf were – he would never give up.

'Now, if I had a joke that would actually be relevant and make sense to the situation… it would be one based around Beaker's due date…' thought Fozzie, thinking hard, as his furry fingers turned a page. 'That's it! Okay, so who brings monster's babies? Give up? Frankenstork!' The thought made Fozzie laugh at one of his own jokes. 'It makes sense because the baby will be born in September, which is close to October, which is the month that Halloween is in! Wocka, wocka!' Seconds later, however, the bear's smile faded into a saddened look of realization. 'Oh…but some people might not get it…because Halloween's a whole month off. Statler and Waldorf are right – I'm never gonna be funny.'

Fozzie sat down on a chair and took his hat off, his furry thumbs fumbled about with the labels inside. It was clear he was thinking…Fozzie always played around with something when he was thinking. Suddenly, his fuzzy face lit up. He had an idea. But it wasn't a bad one – or at least that's what he thought. 'Hey, what if Beaker's baby meant new life, and I know that's obvious of me to think that, but I mean it. Maybe it might make the Muppets start again, you know, start from scratch – and hopefully in time we'll find the light…' The bear then looked at his side table, only to see a photograph of him, along with Kermit, Piggy and Gonzo when The Muppet Show first started. He wanted times to be like that again, so that everything was new and thoughts were easy, because inspiration was hard to find when only memories of a hero are left. Fozzie stared at the photo with a slight tear in his eye, and faith in his heart as he made one final thought, 'Maybe, just maybe…'

As well as Fozzie being affected, a certain duo also had something to say, something which they are never shy to do. The duo, mostly known for their constant heckling, were none other than the "two old men in the theatre box" – that's right, it was Statler and Waldorf.

The ancient duo were still sat in their seats long after the show was over, gazing over the confinement of their box, and into the audience. With what happened today; and the affects it had on all the other Muppets – they could stay there and review the day all night long. They never really believed in the Muppets; they thought that Kermit wasn't smart, that Piggy wasn't pretty, that Fozzie wasn't funny, and that Gonzo wasn't sane. But somehow, the Muppets made a stand and proved the two vile-minded gits wrong. But if Statler and Waldorf never believed in the Muppets, and didn't like them – why did they come back? Was it because the Muppets were the only ones two sour old creatures could heckle? Was it because they were jealous? No-one knew – and so they made light of this query by cracking a classic joke.

"Hey, I heard the experiment down in Muppet Labs actually worked. Beaker's pregnant." Waldorf said, turning to his counterpart.

"No, no – that's impossible, I know for a fact that he's on the pill." Statler answered, sitting up in his seat.

"That's a first!" Waldorf replied at last, establishing the joke; but it was never truly established without their trademark laugh, which they then did to establish the joke. When the laughter was over, a sheet of silence cast over the two old men – if there was something they never shared – it would be their thoughts.

Statler looked far into the distance, across the dismal audience seats and at the poster of various Muppets that hung proudly on the wall. The Muppets had done very well for themselves – the posters; the show; the theatre – it seemed so perfect, but somehow – it wasn't. They could, in a way, do so much better; aim so much higher – or so the twisted old man believed, and yes, it was true, as cold-hearted and as horrid as Statler and Waldorf were – they somehow believed in the Muppets; meaning that their heckling was only meant to make the Muppets grow stronger instead of weaker. And somehow, it was working, but very slowly though – all the Muppets needed was some convincing – that was all.

Waldorf, Statler's rather dusty, old counterpart, was also deep in thought. The white-haired man scanned the far walls and then looked down at the world below him. His sleepy eyes tracked vision of the orchestra pit; he could see Scooter conversing something about music with Nigel, the orchestra's firm conductor. The group below the balcony, which consisted of Dr. Teeth, Floyd Pepper, Zoot, Janice, Lips, Animal, Rowlf, and a few others, looked ready to rehearse as they made their way into the large pit in front of the stage. Just looking at the eager group made Waldorf think about the experiment, and as much as he would joke with Statler about the events of every day – he believed, that somehow, someday – luck will change – and the Muppets could never be luckier. All it took was time.

Moments later, Waldorf turned back to him beady-eyed friend, Statler and broke the ice.

"Y'know, Statler – call me crazy, but I think-" he said.

"Think what? That the Muppets are gonna make another cock-up?" Statler replied.

"Damnit, Statler – will you ever be serious?" Waldorf shouted, as he was not in the mood to joke.

Statler stopped dead in his tracks – he'd never seen Waldorf in such a serious mood.

"I think – oh, never mind – you'll just heckle me, too…" Waldorf said, turning away from Statler.

"I would never heckle you – you're my best friend. So, go on, say what you think." Statler said, putting his hand on Waldorf's shoulder.

"Fine. I think that the Muppets are gonna – call me crazy but I think the Muppets are gonna make it."

"Make what? Another bad show!" Statler laughed. He thought he'd crossed the line – but it was okay, as he could see a glimmer of faith in his friend's eye, and with that faith came humour. Waldorf chuckled to the reply.

"No, but I mean they'll make it – and get past us two old fools – like they always do."

"I guess you're right – I mean, the Muppets do have a chance…"

Waldorf nodded silently to his best friend's agreement, "…but wait a minute, if the Muppets do have a chance – why are we still here?" Statler asked.

Instead of answering, it was clear that Waldorf couldn't resist a joke, so as an answer – he laughed. And when Statler saw his counterpart laugh – he joined in, too – and together they established the joke.

There was also yet another Muppet who had something to say, and being 14, he was known for picking up gossip. That's right, Scooter had something to say, because running around the theatre all day meant he knew what was what, where was where and who was who – and when something came by, he listened.

Scooter had just talked to Nigel about the timing for the orchestra's closing number – and it seemed they had to negotiate a set time – something Nigel wasn't too pleased about. In the end, Scooter had to run back to the Music Room and collect a song book, so Nigel could go through a shorter version of the closing number with his fellow musicians.

When Scooter ran back to get the book, he had a few thoughts of his own, "Wow, something actually worked in the Lab today – so I guess us Muppets are gonna see some good come from this old theatre." Scooter reached the Music Room and started rummaging around for the book, when at last he found it – tucked neatly inside Zoot's saxophone case; probably because Zoot wanted to take a closer look at the music. Scooter picked it up from the case and looked at it; taking his time, thinking that Nigel will probably want to lecture the orchestra on their playing skills while he was gone. On the front, it said, "Famous Compositions by Lionel Richie & Charlie Parker – Translated by Jim Henson", and then another thought struck Scooter's mind. 'Boy, I sure do miss Jim. With him gone, the Muppets just aren't the same…' Scooter thought, holding back a tear for his beloved creator. 'Jim wouldn't want me to cry…' he thought, sniffling a bit, '... so I better hand this book over to Nigel, before he lectures me, too.'

Scooter wandered out the room and headed back to the orchestra pit where Nigel was waiting. On his way, he had another thought, 'Maybe this new addition to the Muppets will turn us around for good. I mean, we've had our share of deaths and loss, and now we might just get our share of birth and love.' Scooter was now in eyesight of Nigel, who was stood with his arms folded, his foot tapping, and a bitter look on his face – Scooter hadn't realized he had taken so long; for sometimes, reminiscence of the ones you love can take up vital amounts of your life.

"You're late, Scooter – what took you so long? I've had the orchestra waiting for a whole five minutes because of you!"

"Geez, I didn't know there was a time limit – sorry, Nigel!" Scooter said, shrugging slightly.

"I should think so! Anyway, _did_ you get that book I asked for?" Nigel asked, getting impatient.

"Oh, sure – I got it!" Scooter said, handing the music book over to the firm conductor who took it and quickly flicked though the pages for the song's music sheet.

"Oh, and Scooter?" the conductor said, looking up at the young gofer.

"Yes?"

"Is there a reason to why you took so long in getting my book?"

"Yeah, I was um… thinking about something – that's it!"

"Oh, OK."

"Why did you ask?"

"Oh, because_ whatever_ you were thinking about – I just wanted to make sure that you never do it again!"

"OK." Scooter said rather quietly, because when Nigel said, "whatever" in his usually bitter tone as if he didn't even care – it really offended Scooter – but he never stood up. Scooter just took it politely, as he knew that Jim wouldn't want the Muppets to go into conflict with each other – that would just be insane.

In desperate need to emotional comfort, Scooter leaned against the theatre wall and watched the orchestra rehearse. They looked ready to tackle anything. Scooter watched as Janice positioned her fingers on the chords neatly; as Zoot brought the mouthpiece of his saxophone up to his cool, blue lips; as Animal raised his arms, drumsticks at the ready. Scooter was known for picking up things, whatever the form, and as he leaned against the wall contently – he listened.

He listened to Rowlf strike a few keys of the piano to a gentle melody, while Janice strummed the guitar a few times, weakly, though. Though the pretty bohemian was usually happy – her voice sounded melancholy, but sure enough; she started to sing…

"_Every now and then_,

_We find a special friend_,"

Her voice sounded heavenly, but solemn – like she meant something, something that she needed to withdraw from her very heart and soul. Janice continued to sing, though her dismal tone brightened up a bit when she got to the chorus. But then, while she was singing, the next two verses in particular struck Scooter's mind.

"_I don't need eyes to see_,

_The love you bring to me_,

_No matter where I go_," The sweet hippie continued, her voice capturing the hearts of everyone nearby.

"_And I know that you'll be there_,

_Forever more a part of me, you're everywhere, _

_I'll always care_," Janice chimed beautifully – her voice was now standing its ground and became stronger as the music flowed through the atmosphere.

Everything in that verse struck Scooter's mind – the voice; the words; the music – Scooter was touched. Then, he began to relate the song to life outside the music. Without further ado, the young gofer began to think…

'This song kinda reminds me of a couple of friends of mine – a lot like Beaker and Pipette, actually. It's like there's a strong bond between them that no-one can break, kinda like love. And if there's anything I believe right now, it's that a love is soon gonna blossom, and it's from a romance that we least expect.' Scooter thought as he listened to the rest of the song, as it brought hope to everyone in the room, meaning that Scooter wasn't the only one who had thoughts…

Later on, when the rehearsal was over, the musicians, as well as Nigel, began to pack away their equipment. Everything was going away; guitars being packed up into their cases; music stands being folded away; saxophones and trumpets being taken apart and put into their respectable cases. As soon as everything was clear, Nigel dismissed the group and everyone headed back to their own dressing rooms. This included Dr. Teeth and the Electric Mayhem, who also had something to say about the past three weeks, but not before they got back to their sanctuary of music and mess. Dr. Teeth, keyboard tucked under his long arm, lead the way.

"It's been a good rehearsal today, guys – I think we need the rest," said the good doctor, as he stepped out of the pit.

"Rest…" breathed Animal, panting and looking down at his drumsticks.

"Yeah, man, I'm beat. Nigel really had it in for us when he meant rehearsal – I mean; he's been making us replay the same dang song for the past hour!" Floyd said, speaking for the whole of the group while lugging a guitar case out of the pit and down the side of the theatre floor.

"Like, I know what you mean," Janice said, softly blowing her sore fingers; trying to ease the pain of oncoming blisters, her guitar slunked over her thin, lanky body by a single pink strap.

The group made their way out of the pit and back to their shared dressing room within minutes, carrying all their musical necessities with them as they walked. Their walking not only lifted any doubts that Nigel gave them during the rehearsal, but it also generated ideas as well…

Moments later, Dr. Teeth turned the doorknob and opened the door to a rather shabby, out-of-date dressing room; complete with every fragment of the last four decades, with "memorabilia" that ranged from broken records to last night's coffee cups. The band entered and set their instruments down, Dr. Teeth shutting the door behind them. As the door secured itself to the frame, most of the band members sat down, Floyd slumping down on the couch; Janice seating herself on a tatty, old beanbag; and Lips and Zoot, well, they just parked their carcasses anywhere they could find. The good doctor turned round to see his chilled out friends as they all stared at him, thinking of what to say next. Finally, the bass player piped up, "Well, time's not going any faster and Zoot's not getting any older – so let's try to keep the rhythm going and actually talk."

"Good idea, Floyd, I'm sure one of us has something to say." Dr. Teeth said, sitting on the couch and kicking off his boots. The room stayed silent, and the stares moved off the abstract parts of the room, Janice found herself staring at a crack in the wall; Zoot found him self studying a used coffee cup; and Lips found himself gazing at a lamp. Even as the good doctor's boots plonked onto the floor, the room still stayed silent – it seemed everyone was off in their own little worlds…

And they were, all of them – lost – even Animal, the band's wild drummer. It seemed everyone was an individual at this moment in time – and everyone in that room, as shabby as it was, drifted off into a world of fantasy, where their thoughts soon made sense. Everyone was their own person, and a trail of thoughts should be started off with the leader, who was none other that Dr. Teeth.

The good doctor, amidst the flow of thoughts in the room kicked back with his hands behind his head and his feet propped up on an amplifier of sorts. He did none other than the classic band leader would, and began to think… 'Wow, the experiment did work after all; Beaker's gonna have a baby – so I guess dreams do come true. But…I just can't help wonder what this could mean for us, Dr. Teeth and the Electric Mayhem. I mean, science got their fair share of the luck, but what does it really mean for the music? Are we ever gonna succeed in life? And what about Beaker and that chick he hangs round with, huh – where's it gonna lead them? 'Cos if there's anything I hope – I just hope that it's all gonna turn out OK – and that we're all gonna have something to some about, in the end.' Dr. Teeth thought as his green, blinged-up fingers fiddled with a rough end of his finely-woven jacket of many vibrant colours.

Second in the room to have something to think about was the Electric Mayhem's bass player, Floyd Pepper. It was he who usually spoke out for the whole of the group most of the time, but this time – he had his own way of thinking; specifically his and there was hardly a soul that said that they agree… 'Oh man, how do I start thinking straight – there's just too much goin' on? First, I heard the experiment worked and that there's another Muppet on the way, then Janice sings such an awesome song that words can't describe – man, do I love her? And where does it all leave me? Lost – that's where! 'Cos I'm telling ya, man – life's so upbeat and alive tonight, I just can't get my head round it all! Is it good? Is it bad? And where do any of us stand, for that matter? What does any of this mean? There's just too many questions that I could ask, and for every question – there's an answer.' Floyd thought as his arm rested over the tattered arm-rest of the couch, his fingers sinking through the broken fabric, and into the foam.

Also deep in thought, the band's rhythm guitarist had some time to herself, as she pondered the day's events, twiddling a single strand of her spaghetti hair as she did so, 'Like, wow, man – the day's been like, a blast, fer surely! Like, so much has happened – and it's all turning out great – the experiment, the rehearsal, the end of the day – now that I'm here with all my friends! But, like, I just totally can't believe that the experiment worked – I mean it's like, a miracle! I'm just sooo excited now that there's gonna be a new baby and that the rehearsal went well – and there's something else I totally dig, too! I guess no-one's noticed it, you know, the way Beaker and that other girl, Pipette are like, always together. Some people say its work – but I say its love. Not the friendly type – you know, the type that's hidden for so long, and then, like the truth soon buds out. I so totally dig their relationship, and hope for the best for not only them, but for the baby, too. Maybe life just keeps on getting better and better…'

As much as most of the louder characters got their say in things, the first of two very quiet horn players also had something on their mind. Zoot thought in severe depth as he looked up at the unit from the case he was sat on, 'Wow, out of all the stuff I see through these old shades, this has got to be the weirdest thing ever – something worked in the Lab – what HAVE we come to? That's not right, 'cos I know for everything that goes right – something bad follows. I'm sorry for my negativity, but for all I've been through, I just don't see the light anymore. But as much as I don't believe, in a sense I do. I mean, I don't believe because I'm a depressed old geezer who plays sax for a no-go rock band; but I do believe in the sense that I'm sort of making a wish for somebody else, and like the song goes – I do hope that the wish will come true.' Zoot thought, his eyes still surveying the unit through his shades. His eyes set a focused look as Zoot made his wish… 'My wish is to just hope that everything works out OK – the music; the science; everything – we all deserve a chance, right? And nothing can stop us; we'll make it; we'll be remembered – if we just believe. If I just believe, the wish might come true, then everything will be the way it's supposed to be… and everyone will reach their destiny.' Zoot thought once more, and he made his wish. It seems that this experiment has forced everyone to think about life in its finest moments and believe in everything. Zoot just sat still on the couch, and even though he didn't look like it – he cared, deeply – and it just goes to show that you can never underestimate the power of one.

At this time, being silent gave one of the quietest members of the Electric Mayhem a time to think; a time to slow down and get to know the situation. Lips sat there, next to Zoot, gazing down at the good doctor's tired, old boots and thought to himself, '…Just wow, man – everything's changing – the songs we play; the things others are expecting; and the things we think and feel. It's just amazing… but if we do experience any big changes – then I hope it's for the good, 'cause we need it. I believe we'll make it – but I obviously can't tell the future – so I'll just believe and hope for the best. I'll stand strong, and though I won't fight, I'll take whatever life throws at me, and the rest of us for that matter, 'cause no matter what – we'll always stick together. And then, nothing will stop us from achieving our dreams.' Though Lips had finished spilling his thoughts into the atmosphere, as his yellow fingers ran over some of the fine embroidery on the bottom front edge of his dashiki, and though he stopped thinking – Lips never did stop believing.

And, finally, the loudest member of the group – Animal had a rare quiet moment as he thought life through; his lanky Muppet arms dangled down to the floor where he grasped his trademark drumsticks, one in each hand as he sat on the floor and began to think… 'Things changing. New song. New Baby. New Hope? Hope things good. Not bad. Miss Jim a lot. Jim in my heart, though. Things need change. Change good. But drums and friends stay. Forever.' Animal still thought as he sat there silently, surveying a shattered record which lay on the floor in pieces Seeing Animal like this was kind of creepy for everyone in the room, but it made everyone wonder just what each other was thinking…

Dr. Teeth then began to sit foreword and put on his worn-out boots, causing everyone to get up too. The good doctor simply ignored the silence and spoke up, "Right, I think it's about time we got back to the motel – 'cause we can't sleep here all night."

The rest of the Electric Mayhem followed Dr. Teeth in getting ready to go, Janice put her guitar in its case; Zoot zipped his jacket up; and Animal slunked towards the door. And as Dr. Teeth locked up, the Electric Mayhem made their way back to their resting place – a shabby, but faithful motel they called home.

Lastly, there was one Muppet – or bird of the American heritage who definitely had to have his word over all of this. Yes, folks, it was Sam the Eagle – someone who just wasn't too fond of it all… 'Look at them all – weirdoes – every last one of them. They think they're luck's going to change just because something actually succeeded in that weird little science lab. And may I suggest that the experiment's results are absolutely preposterous – a Muppet of the male gender getting pregnant. Ridiculous!' The bald eagle thought to himself as he watched over one of the balconies, seeing what appeared to be the Electric Mayhem; instruments in tow as they left for the night. As they came out of Sam's sharp view, the eagle had just one more thought left to share, '…But through all this, they stick together – and never have I been more proud to be an American!'

**A/N: Okay, so there it is – Chapter 6. And please – no flames from those who can spot any musical mistakes – but, however – I do encourage reviews! **


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7 - Chemistry In Action**

It had been four weeks after the experiment had succeeded and Beaker was now one month pregnant. Vibes of science and curiosity filled the homey, little science lab, as Dr. Bunsen Honeydew finished scribbling some scientific details on a small piece of paper, "That should about cover it." he said, glancing over it once more to check it was right. With a knowing look on his face, Bunsen wandered over to Pipette, who was curiously reading up on something in a physics book. He held out the piece of paper to her, "Pipette, I need you and Beaker to carry out this chemistry experiment while I do some research on elements, okay? And I know the experiment is simple, but the theory on this piece of paper is much more in-depth. To save time, I've written it down for you."

Pipette smiled at Bunsen as she reluctantly took the slip of paper, "Okay, Bunsen - I'm sure me and Beaker can handle it." She then turned to her timid friend and signalled for him to come over, "C'mon, Beaker - let's get to work." Pipette blushed intensely as she said this, but she was somehow oblivious to it. Maybe her passion for science overwhelmed her so she didn't think about it - but, come to think about it; over the past four weeks, it had been so much more easier to talk to Beaker - from a distance, that is. When they were up close and personal, however, she became nervous and jittery, almost like she was excited or scared; but she wasn't - she just felt weird.

Moments later, Pipette closed up the book and put it back on the shelf while Beaker brought some beakers and some eye protection over to the table where Pipette was sitting at. When Pipette had finished putting the book back, she and Beaker went to fetch some chemicals.

"It says here we need some hydrochloric acid." Pipette said, reading aloud from the bit of paper as she drummed her fingers on the desk.

"Meep." replied Beaker, as he came back with a bottle of the stuff. He placed it on the table and blushed as he looked at Pipette, awaiting his next task.

"Thanks, Beakie - and now we need a couple of pieces of magnesium, zinc and aluminium." Pipette said, blushing and walking over to get the metals. Beaker helped her a bit by showing her where the metals were; she hadn't been working there that long and she needed a little help.

"Thanks again." she said and she poured a bit of acid into each of the beakers, then one by one, Beaker dropped the metals into the acid and the two watched them fizz away.

The blush on Pipette's face never disappeared as she watched the reaction with Beaker, who was also still blushing. Suddenly, when she was watching the reaction, she realised that to actually find out the results, they needed one last thing: Universal Indicator - dang - how could she be so stupid?

"Um…Beaker - is it OK if you get some Universal Indicator?" she asked him, blushing.

Beaker silently went to go get some; but then Pipette noticed another thing - he'd just picked up the wrong bottle; it was a bottle filled with a clear liquid. It wasn't very clear on the bottles to see what was in them as they'd been picked up so many times, the labels had worn thin.

"Beaker?" she said, getting his attention and walking over. Beaker turned and looked at her with a slight smile and a puzzled look in his eyes. Pipette took another bottle filled with a blue liquid and approached him, "Beaker, I think this is the Universal Indicator," she said, gently placing her hand over his, swapping the chemicals and blushing in the process. Then everything changed - their hearts were racing; their eyes were affixing themselves to one another's long enough to exchange a gaze; and time just froze. They were both like this - frozen - for nearly a full minute; the world was cut off from them, they only had each other. Moments later, however, Pipette released her touch on Beaker's hand - and the whole aura was shattered, leaving them both in a world of confusion. It was silent for a while.

"Um…so, Beaker…I-I guess we better get back to the experiment…" Pipette said, glancing over at another table and blushing a deep red.

"Meep." Beaker squeaked in agreement and they both went back to the table. Beaker looked over at the beakers of acid and noticed that all the metals had dissolved; he motioned for Pipette to come and take a look.

"Oh, it's OK, Beaker - the reaction time is not what we're testing for." she said, placing a couple of drops of the blue liquid into the first beaker, "The thing we're testing for is the acidity of the solution now that the metal has dissolved." explained Pipette. Beaker watched her carefully as she put a couple of drops of Universal Indicator into the other two beakers of acid. He stood by her as she gently shook each beaker, ruxing up the colours inside them. She blushed slightly as she done this, standing next to Beaker; the moment was awkward - but their hands were inches apart. When they watched the colours transform into their result - it happened - Pipette took Beaker's hand in hers; her heart was soaring through her body and her cheeks turned a deep pink - and she couldn't explain why.

Pipette could only try to think why, but her thoughts read, "Wow." If she ever tried to explain; she could only think that they shared a strong friendship, and that whatever this feeling was - it was certainly very strong. Just like their friendship - her friendship with him was really strong - like no-one could break the bond that lies between them.

Beaker couldn't explain why either - he just felt like this - nothing compared to it. He also believed their friendship was very strong - maybe too strong, though - as what would stop his heart from beating like this? All he knew was that with her around, everything was gonna by OK - he could feel it, and after all - they were best friends. Beaker looked down as their hands touched and thought, 'Wow, just wow.' His heart soared, too - what could this feeling be?

Moments later, when the experiment was over, Pipette casually slipped her hand off of Beaker's; sliding it slowly onto the table. She quickly grabbed a pen and jotted the results down on the paper that Bunsen had given her. She then silently wandered off to Bunsen with the results, leaving Beaker alone at the table. He stood there, puzzled; and though his abdomen brought him pain, he put a hand to it - considering his unborn child. He had thoughts: 'I know I'm only a month gone but I am thinking a bit about how everything's gonna turn out - I sure hope it works out OK. I still have questions it's too early for - like, is it a boy or a girl, and stuff like that? I'm also kind of confused - what is this feeling I get whenever I'm near Pipette - or is it something to do with the baby?' Beaker stopped thinking for a moment and the warmth of his best friend dissolved into thin air - the aura was shattered - and before he knew it, Pipette felt the same way.

As the aura shattered, a new one formed; an aura of confusion swept the two as a sheet of silence cast over the room. Beaker and Pipette could only wonder why they were feeling this way; what it was; and more importantly, what was happening to them. They quietly packed away the experiment; avoiding eye contact and blushing. When they had finished, Beaker wandered back over to Bunsen; while Pipette took the physics book back out from the shelf. As she withdrew the book, it was clear that she never really knew just how many ways she could show affection to her best friend…

**A/N: Hi, guys! I'm back (after a long wait), and I just wanted let you know that this chapter and the next one feature experiments and P.O.V.s that build on Beaker and Pipette's relationship, so don't get bored - as I can assure you that they lead up to a really emotional Chapter 9! Now that that's been said, I'm telling you now (as I always have) that I am completely open for reviews. **


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8 - The Gift of Colour**

A full month had passed since the chemistry experiment; the one that happened just four weeks ago, and everything was going fine, So fine in face, that Bunsen had set another experiment for Beaker and Pipette to get on with. He just had to figure out what type of experiment they were going to do. He looked down at his notes, trying to come up with ideas - just when a chemistry book caught the corner of his eye. The inspiration from this came from the fact that they did some chemistry last month - making Bunsen think of one other word - chromatography. That's it! That's the only thing to break the recent silence!

A collective smile played on Bunsen's lips as he reached over for the book, when he spotted a box of, until then, useless flowers that looked like they had already been pressed. A spark in Bunsen's imagination caused him to drag the small box over and look up chromatography in the book - when he soon realised that they could conduct the experiment on the flowers.

There wasn't really much to test for; but this did give them a chance to see what they could do with the topic. Bunsen felt they could do the experiment the same way it would be conducted on things like felt pens, leaving Beaker and Pipette to conduct the experiment and just check out the outcome. So, with that thought in mind and without further ado; Bunsen approached Pipette, bringing with him the inspirational book.

"Pipette, could I ask you and Beaker to do this experiment…?" she asked shyly, noticing the female scientist's keen eye catch the chemistry book he was holding.

"OK, Bunsen - but, what are me and Beaker testing for?" Pipette asked.

"Well, that's what I need to talk to you about…" Bunsen said, guiding his female friend over to the desk where the flowers were on. When they reached the desk, Bunsen pulled the box over so Pipette could get a good view of the flowers. Inside the small box, there were flowers of many pretty colours and breeds; ranging from tulips to roses to daisies. Pipette looked down at the box, then back up at Bunsen, "Wow, they're really pretty - what do you plan on doing with them?"

"Well, Pipette, I'm glad you asked that, because I planned that you and Beakie do a chromatography experiment with these." Bunsen said, referring to the box of pressed flowers.

"Okay, so we're testing for…?" Pipette asked, giving Bunsen a rather quizzical look.

"Nothing really - I just want you two to play around with it and see what you can do. And please make a record of your results as I may consider using chromatography for my latest invention…" Bunsen answered, picking up the small box and handing it to her.

"That's fine, Bunsen - I'm sure me and Beaker will find something out." Pipette replied, taking the chemistry book and the flowers neatly from Bunsen. She walked over to the table and placed the objects neatly on the surface when she felt a tap on her right shoulder. The female scientist jumped in shock only slightly and turned round slightly to find Bunsen looking up at her and smiling apologetically, "I'm sorry to have startled you, but I just want to let you know - the chromatography instructions are on page 142 of that book, okay?"

Pipette smiled back at him, "Got it." She then turned back to the table and began to turn the pages of the chemistry book until she got to page 142. Soon afterwards, Pipette wandered over to where Beaker was - cleaning himself up at the sink after a little experiment to do with sodium chloride got a little bit messy.

"C'mon, Beaker, Bunsen said we need to get on with an experiment - we need to check out some chromatography on some pressed flowers." she said, looking at him with intent, eagerly waiting for him to join her.

"Meep." he replied, smiling as his face lit up; he could never miss an opportunity to conduct an experiment with his best friend at his side. And it was clear that he was done with scrubbing the hydrochloric acid off of his lab coat. Beaker ignored the water on his clothes and looked at her, blushing as he soon followed her to the table.

When they reached the table, Pipette scrolled down the page with her finger until she found the instructions, "Looks like we need some hydrochloric acid, a few beakers, some filter paper and some of those pretty flowers in that box over there." With that said, the scientific duo of boy and girl went to collect the said things; Beaker searched for a bottle of hydrochloric acid - there must be one at the sink, while Pipette fetched some beakers with filter paper tucked neatly inside them. When they both reunited at the table, equipment in hand, they began to set up the experiment.

As they set it up, Pipette took the filter paper out of the beakers and replaced them with a few centimetres of hydrochloric acid, while Beaker rummaged through the box of flowers, trying to find a good range of colours for the experiment. It wasn't that they were pretty enough; because they were indeed pretty; beautiful, even - he just needed to find some nice ones to test on. When she had finished pouring the acid, Pipette broke the silence, "So, Beaker - what flowers do you think we should use?" He suddenly stopped going through the box; it was clear he'd made a decision.

"Meep," Beaker shyly squeaked, blushing heavily as he took Pipette's hand; her skin feeling the cold touch as she felt his soggy, wet cuff. But before she could respond, he planted a handful of beautiful flowers from the box into her hand. She looked down at the flowers she grasped I shock, then back at Beaker. Now she could respond. "Aww," was all she could manage as her cheeks turned pink. Pipette just swore that she felt her heart skip a beat when she noticed the flowers; and she found that all she could do was give Beaker a friendly smile - that was so sweet!"

But as she tried to let go of the colourful bunch, she found she couldn't; when she tried it felt like her whole body froze - the temperature stayed the same, but her body stayed awkwardly still. She stayed like this for a while. Eventually she found the strength to let go of the flowers; but the only trouble was, it felt like she didn't appreciate Beaker's little gift. But she did, deep down she felt it was one of the sweetest things she'd ever received.

Despite her shook up state, Pipette still smiled at Beaker, and he smiled back; feeling weird, weird like he was going to faint, but something deep within him kept him strong. He knew she's like them. But why did he do it? The feelings he felt just then - where'd that come from? Was it normal? Maybe it was just due to the fact that he was pregnant; because he knew that that kind of stuff messes with things like hormones. He just knew there was an explanation. He just wondered whether it would turn out okay - but just then he felt a small cramp. Beaker put a hand to his abdomen and felt it - looks like the baby got the message and just wanted to reassure him - then he knew it would turn out okay.

The scientists then got on with the rest of the experiment in silence, blushing whenever their eyes met. No, seriously. They got on with it; Pipette used the flower petals to mark the filter paper, while Beaker poured the hydrochloric acid into the few beakers they had out on the table. While they were doing this, it was clear that the silence indicated that they both had their own thoughts…

'That was really sweet of Beaker to give me those flowers - but why? I mean, I know he's pregnant, I know his hormones aren't exactly controllable right now - and I know that he's changing, what with the baby and all, but… maybe I'm changing. But anyways, I reckon that if there's a word to describe just exactly how I feel - it would be "wow". Just wow. There's nothing more to say.' Pipette thought as she silently watched the strips of filter paper; the colours flowing up and away from the pools of acid they were sitting in. 'But, if "wow" describes my feeling - what am I feeling to make me say "wow"? It's interesting, really. I can just never explain it - it's just the best I've ever felt - it's truly awesome. But, another thing - I'm sorta scared; I mean, I know my heart seriously beats but I get a little freaked and kinda nervous. To put it to a conclusion - I guess Beaker makes me weak. Even though I'm thinking of stuff right now, I'm also kind of hoping something, too. I really hope that Beaker gets through this all right; I mean, he's really strong and I just know he'll be OK. And when I mean get through this, I mean everything; the morning sickness, the kicks, the birth - 'cause I got a feeling he's gonna make it. And I also hope that the baby stays healthy too; I mean, there hasn't been a scan yet, so I'm pretty sure it's OK.'

As well as Pipette thinking about things, Beaker had a few thoughts of his own, too, 'Wow, things are changing; I guess life is going differently for the both of us - me and Pipette, that is - I'm not saying that the little guy or girl doesn't count; it's just something I got on my mind. And if I'm saying things are changing, then I mean in the Lab; Bunsen isn't testing on me now that I'm pregnant, and Pipette… well, let's just say things are going well. But then, if I'm thinking about changes; then I'm thinking about month-by-month changes - I mean, things are gonna be a little different when the baby starts to show. Anyway, I gotta ask myself - what is it with me and Pipette - I gave her flowers? I usually just freak if I like a girl like that. But, then again. I knew she would like it. And another thing - why in God's name am I feeling like this? What's wrong with me? But, then again, that is something I could link back to the baby. But, aside from all that stuff - maybe I do care about her; for all the stuff she's said to me so far, I gotta say I'm really thankful for it all. So, I guess so - let's just wait and see.'

Both of them knew it was going to change; the feeling would get stronger - but neither of them knew that staying apart would only make things worse. If anything new were to come along, the Muppets would just have to wait and see.

**A/N: I'm back again with Chapter 8, and it seems that Beaker and Pipette are getting closer… will they find out what this feeling is? Or will they go through another adorable chapter of cute confusion? Well, like the ending sentence says, you'll just have to "wait and see"! Reviews are also greatly appreciated round here - so what are you waiting for? **


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9 - Something's Starting To Show**

It had been yet another month since the chromatography experiment; where Beaker had given Pipette a little surprise through science. All was well and true, but as Beaker came into the lab from the chilly spring air outside, Pipette noticed something a little different about him. When he hung up his coat on one of the hooks - he was different. Even when he walked across the room. Different. But what was it? She looked closer until she realized what it was - the baby was starting to show! She could see it through his baggy lab coat that he had a little bump - it was small but she could see it well. Pipette thought it was kinda cute. She could never understand why she thought Beaker was so amazing; probably it was the stuff he did to amaze her. He would never cease to amaze and impress her - not now, not after three months since the success. He could never make her stop feeling that way; she just stared in awe at her amazing friend as he walked over to Bunsen, where he conversed a matter of science with him. When she heard what Bunsen said, she snapped out of her little daydream and followed Beaker to the bookshelf to help him collect his matter of science.

"Hi, Beaker!" she said cheerfully, making him jump a little and turn round to face her, "Oh, sorry to freak you out a little, but I just wanted to know what you were looking for - 'cause maybe I could help you!"

He looked at her, then back at the bookshelf, then back at her, "Mee-mo-ma," he said, pointing to a random shelf of books. Pipette knew he probably doesn't need the help, but she did feel the need to be there for him when he needs it.

"Oh, the book on biology…uh, I don't know where that is. Have you asked Bunsen?" Pipette asked, glancing at the shelves a few times. Beaker nodded.

"OK, then I guess we'll just have to go through these." she said, crouching down to the bottom shelf; pulling out random books and flicking through the pages. Beaker joined her, only by reaching up to the top as he was quite tall; yanking out random books from the tight clutter and looking through them. The pair went through all the science books; scanning through their contents and putting them neatly back when they were done. They carried out this task in silence. Complete silence, not a word, or a whisper passed either of their lips - it was just too hard. A little while later, when they were done, Pipette got up from her previous crouching position to notice Beaker pressing his back and blinking several times, obviously feeling a little overwhelmed by the baby as a gradual pain swept his abdomen. Thought Beaker was in slight pain, Pipette couldn't help but smile - she knew the baby was just fine.

She walked up to him, smiling sweetly before she spoke, her tone was a bit concerned due to the lack of the book, "Not here then, Beaker?"

"Meep." Beaker replied, shaking his head before telescoping it down into his shirt. Pipette put a hand to his shoulder and smiled, "Aw, don't worry, Beaker - I'm sure it'll turn up somewhere. After all, things do change in here too, you know." Her smile faded when she noticed a single teat drop from his bugged out eyes as he blinked, staring at her in despair. Her heart took over entirely as she watched her own hand snake down his arm and grasp his hand. Pipette looked deeply into Beaker's eyes as she gripped both his hands and pulled them up with hers before speaking up, "Beaker, what's wrong?"

"Mee-meep." he said, turning away and blushing; he never thought what he said was very tough, even for a long-suffering lab assistant - but she could understand; she knew that giving birth was a hard fear to overcome. Now Beaker really started to tear up - he didn't know what to do; it seemed the baby was making him more nervous and edgy - but never nervous enough to make him get closer with Pipette.

As the female scientist stood there, watching her friend cry his eyes out; she found that whenever she saw another tear fall, she felt another beat of her heart bounce back to crack the remains - she couldn't stand it anymore. Pipette squeezed his warm hands and let go, only to find herself pulling him into a tight embrace. He rested his head on her shoulder as she held him in her arms; she could feel the hot tears soaking into her lab coat.

"Aw, Beaker - it's going to be fine - don't worry, okay? I know this is going to be hard, but I also know that you're going to get through this - you just have to be strong. You'll probably forget you even went through all this pain in the end." she said, embracing him still; but sure enough he pulled away, giving her a reluctant smile as he dried his tired eyes with his sleeves. She smiled back at him and leaned foreword slightly, looking over his shoulder to see Bunsen walking over.

"Beaker, have you found that book yet- oh my goodness, Beakie are you okay?" he asked, astounded when he saw Beaker's red eyes. He looked down to find tearstains on the assistants sleeves. Looking up, he said, "I heard what you and Pipette were talking about, but I didn't think you'd get this upset about it." Bunsen said before speaking to Beaker with a slightly firmer tone, "Look, I know you're scared about having this baby, and I know you're worried about coping with the pain of giving birth - but please don't cry; you don't know how much it pains me to see you this way, you really don't. You're a faithful lab assistant and you don't deserve this pain, I know you, Beaker - you'll stay strong, and you'll get through this, okay." Bunsen changed his tone slightly and made a little joke to bring the lab back to its normal, happy state, "But to be honest, I actually thought it was pregnancy hormones." he said, chuckling a bit; that had been the first funny thing in a while, as lately, many things proved to be very tense and on-edge. Bunsen put a hand to Beaker's abdomen; it had been the first time he had done this since Beaker had gotten pregnant, he had never felt an unborn baby that has been developing for three months, and to be honest - it just felt awesome. After a little while, Bunsen took his hand off of Beaker's bump and pulled his assistant into a secure hug, "Just hang on, Beakie - and you'll pull through." he said, before releasing his assistant and wandering off to his previous matter - a still, untouched science experiment, as he left Beaker and Pipette alone.

They stared at each other for a little while, clearly trying to avoid eye contact, but they both couldn't help staring into each other's eyes, wondering what would happen next. They both blushed as their eyes met and the silent, edgy atmosphere was shattered by Pipette, "You know, Beaker, everything's changing - like I said about how this lab is changing; when one of us finds a book, and someone else cleans up and loses it. And it's not just that either, I mean, the show's doing good, too; the band is performing new songs, Kermit's finding loads of new guest stars, and Fozzie's finally found a joke or two that could work."

"Meep," Beaker agreed, nodding as he stared at her, giving a brief smile.

"And I bet there's a tonne of other things I could think of, maybe just in this lab - but everything's changing…" Pipette said, looking around the room for inspiration, when she spotted a chemistry experiment that Bunsen was working on. "Like how colours change in a conical flask and how a book gets dusty," she said, glancing over at the tatty, old bookshelf. She could make a never-ending list of the things changing around her, until the energy inside her cooled its jets when her inspiration met Beaker's baby bump for a second time, "And how something so simple like three months into a baby's development can change…" she said, simple placing a hand onto his abdomen, smiling.

"Meep?" Beaker said, confused; he was touched by her words but he didn't get half of what she meant - how can a baby change so much in three months? He wondered until he was confronted with the answer.

"I can tell by the baby bump…" she said, smiling up at him.

"Meep?" Beaker said, he'd never noticed it before, but now it was a bit clear the baby was starting to show.

"Oh, yeah, totally - I mean, if it's been three months, and the baby's been developing - that's a third of your pregnancy, Beaker. And if it's been a whole three months - certainly a bump has to show for it."

After a while, Pipette pulled her hand away from Beaker's bump and looked at him, "So, I guess we better look for that book, then." she said, gesturing to the rest of the lab. Eventually, she walked away when she noticed that several scientific items needed a good clean, Beaker, however, didn't feel that he and Pipette had checked the book thoroughly enough, and went back to doing just that.

As Pipette began her self-set task of washing up the scientific instruments, she put in the plug and turned on the release of gradually heating water that collided with the green liquid at the bottom of the sink to form a fluffy, white foam. When she turned off the tap, she dunked her hands into the warm water and suddenly it reminded her of Beaker; with the memories at hand she removed her hands from the water and pulled in her first item - a test tube rack, which was covered with some kind of bright green gunge. She began cleaning, and within minutes, she went through many items, from test tubes to conical flasks; spatulas to beakers; scalpels to bottles, that is, until she found a new discovery. Given a hint from the charred, blackened corner it was an item, but Pipette removed the things on top of it to reveal its true identity, "The Complete Encylopedia of Biology" it read until she realized - it was the book Beaker was looking for. She dried her hands and the book with an old rag and then abandoned her previous work as she went to return the book to Beaker.

She walked up to her friend, carrying the half-burnt-half-soaked biology book in her damp hands. Beaker, however, looked at the bookshelf quizzically and then at the room around him, trying to find it until he saw Pipette; he didn't notice her footsteps, but he did notice the thing she was holding. Pipette simply stood there, the moisture from the book's cover tracing her hands, causing the collaboration to drip when he gave her a relieved smile. She smiled back, "It's OK, Beaker - I just came to tell you that I've found the book; it was left by the sink after it caught fire."

Beaker's smile grew wider as he walked over to her and she handed him the book. He looked at her and then the book, then back at her again; the book's wetness trailed drips of water down his warm hands, chilling them as they fell. He put the book down on a nearby table and pulled her into a thankful hug. Her heart soared, just like the first time she held his hand as her body touched his; her emotions became entwined with other emotions as she hugged back - she felt weak enough to cry but strong enough to scream - her emotions at that time were indescribable. She could physically feel Beaker's damp, warm hands pressing up against her back as he held her. Beaker could feel his pulse rapidly going up; his heart was beating like crazy but this was no match to his mind - he liked it. When they broke apart he smiled at her and squeaked, "Mee-meep." It was his way of saying thank you. Pipette smiled and then left him to get on with his book; it was her way of saying that it's OK.

Pipette then went back to the sink and continued to wash up; the water was just a tad cooler by now, but the warmth still reminded her of Beaker. As she got on with the chore she couldn't help but review the day through her thoughts, 'Aww, wow - Beaker hugged me, probably because I hugged him - well, he was crying, and I can totally understand. But this is so cool; we're good friends and we hugged - I mean, I know good friends do hug - but we really got close, but not just any kind of close - the good close. I liked it, though - but did he? And that brings me onto a few more thoughts: is the baby going to be a boy or a girl? I know it's still a little early to ask that question but I can't help but wonder - even though we're three months off the answer. But back to me and Beaker for a second, I mean, I just do not get what I'm feeling - because I know that the baby is messing with his hormones - but why's it gotta mess with me, too?' she thought silently as she finished the washing up. Pulling the plug and watching the soapy water drain away, Pipette started to dry the items, her head was still pondering for the answers to questions she will always have on her mind.

Also deep in thought, Beaker stared at his wet book quizzically, giving the soaked pages a good flick through as he picked it up from the table. Much like Pipette, he also had questions that needed answers, 'Wow, three months in and it's already starting to show - this baby's developing fast! And I got a little bump to show for it; and yes, I know it's a little embarrassing but I think it's kinda cute - 'cos it's my baby! And I really appreciate what Pipette has done for me - hugging me when I got scared and cried - but I do admit, I'm a little scared about having this baby - I mean, all this pain - how is it possible to survive? And there's another thing, I gotta say…that I like Pipette - I mean, she's a really good friend and this friendship is really strong. She makes me feel weird in a way that I like - that time when I hugged her with wet hands - it was awesome. I'm also kind of wondering if the baby's doing OK, 'cos I'm also thinking of the gender, which is gonna lead to a name and so on. But I guess I don't have to freak - after all, I'm gonna get my first ultrasound next month - and I guess that is pretty exciting!' Beaker finished, opening up the book properly and setting himself on a page. The page had a maze of words, most of which were scientific and proper, so without further ado, he got lost in that.

Pipette, on the other hand, was just finishing the task of drying the many scientific items and instruments, still thinking of Beaker. They carried on with all they were doing; thinking of each other and what had happened all the same as the day carried on until it got to the point where the light faded and the day ended. And if they both knew that things were changing; then they would surely know that just something was starting to show.

**A/N: So what do you think…emotional or what? And here's a sneak peak for Chapter 10, Beaker gets an ultrasound to find out how the baby's doing! Any who, reviews are much obliged, so without further ado - peace out! **


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10 - Safe and Sound**

Yet another month had passed and Beaker had gone on to become four months pregnant; the bump was now more visible though it had become heavy at times. Being another month closer to the birth, he was still a bit freaked - but he was OK. Today, however, Beaker was calm but nervous - as today was the day of his first ultrasound; he would finally get to know how his little boy or girl was doing! A light scent of smoke and a light sense of fear engulfed the room with its presence as Bunsen walked to the door; but stopped suddenly as he forgot to tell his two assistants where he was going and what he was doing. He turned to face Beaker and Pipette, a smile of excitement upon his lime-green face, "I'll just go and check if it's OK with Dr. Bob to use the ultrasound equipment. Will you two be OK if I just pop off; oh, and Pipette - will you just talk to Beaker about why this ultrasound is important?" Bunsen stated, before exiting the lab and wandering down the busy corridor. On his way to the set of Veterinarian's Hospital, Bunsen had passed a hallway that was packed with Muppets; from Dr. Teeth and the Electric Mayhem to the Dancing Penguins; from Gonzo in stuntman attire to George the Janitor and his Mop; from Miss Piggy and her pet poodle, Foo Foo to the Swedish Chef and his singing food - it was insanity..

Meanwhile, back in Muppet Labs, Beaker and Pipette were stood there; Pipette flicking through a book of elements at a table, while Beaker stood next to her, trembling. Beaker was happy and quite excited about finding out how his unborn baby was doing; but thinking that an ultrasound scan was like a new contraption - his body failed to show what he felt on the inside. Pipette looked up from the book and looked at Beaker with concern. Carefully putting a hand to Beaker's shoulder and cleverly supporting the book with the other, she turned to face him before saying, "Aw, don't worry, Beaker - an ultrasound is completely harmless - in fact, an ultrasound is only meant to scan for problems, not cause them."

"Meep!" Beaker squeaked in distress, his head shooting back into his shirt and his hand holding his bump; he was clearly scared of her remark about the scan. Pipette looked at what she had done, dropping the book in response as she rushed over to comfort Beaker, "Oh no, Beaker, please don't back down; this scan is just gonna check on the baby - not harm you. I'd never let it harm you. And to be honest, I'm just as scared as you are! I mean, I know this is your first time getting an ultrasound. But, I'm scared because it's my first time doing an ultrasound - I've only read about this stuff in books. I really don't mean to shout but you have to understand and let me check on the baby, because trust me - I'm scared for the both of you, too…" she said, taking his hands and looking deep into his eyes; she knew he was afraid and she just had to draw him from his fears. The awkwardness enclosed them in a world of silence; until, to Pipette's avail, a squeaky voice spoke up through his pail-turquoise cotton blouse, "Mee-mee-ma." he said, slowly raising the base of his timid eyes from the top of his collar as he saw Pipette's face light right up.

"Really?" she asked in disbelief; she didn't know that Beaker could stand up like this, but with a little encouragement - she knew it all along.

"Meep." he replied, nodding and smiling at the female scientist.

"Oh, Beaker! I knew you'd understand!" she said, letting go of his hands and pulling him into a tight embrace of joy. Beaker's smile grew even wider as the excitement flowed through his body - he was ready for this - and to show it in a meaningful way, he hugged back. She then pulled away and took him by the hand, "So, Beaker - are you ready to find out how your baby's doing?"

At the same time, however, Bunsen was in the midst of Muppets he sat out to avoid in his quest for Dr. Bob. After what seemed like ages of endless pushing and shoving, he could finally see Dr. Bob in the doorway; Bunsen carefully dodged the ruckus and entered the room.

"Dr. Bob?" he asked, tapping the furry figure on the shoulder, causing the doctor to jump slightly and turn round to show his true identity - it was a dog clad in a surgeon's clothing.

"Just call me Rowlf. Anyway, Dr. Honeydew - what is it that I can do for you?" said the dog, with a sympathetic smile as he scratched the end of his fuzzy ear.

"Ah, yes, Rowlf - I just came to ask you if I could borrow your ultrasound equipment?"

"Yeah, that's fine. I'm not gonna criticize you or anything but I just wanted to ask you who you're using this equipment on?"

"Oh, I'm just using it on Beaker, to just, you know - check how the baby's doing." Bunsen said, smiling at the furry, piano-playing surgeon.

"Oh yeah, how is he, by the way?" Rowlf asked, smiling back at Bunsen.

"Beaker's just fine; he was a bit nervous about having the scan - I could tell, he was shaking all morning - but I think it was the hormones."

"That's great, Bunsen - oh, and how far along is he?"

"Four months." Bunsen said, smiling warmly at the smart hound.

"Awesome. Well, I'm off - she's all yours." Rowlf said, taking off his surgical gear and abandoning his "Dr. Bob" persona and changing back into Rowlf again. Bunsen thanked his quickly before rushing back to the lab before Rowlf stopped him, "Oh, and Bunsen!" he said, chucking a set of clanking silver keys to the scientist, "Those are they keys - lock up when you're done!"

Bunsen smiled and thanked him again before actually going back to the lab; carefully avoiding the insanity throughout the corridors and making his way back to Muppet Labs.

Back at the lab, Beaker and Pipette stood there, holding hands but were startled by Bunsen's sudden presence. He smiled at his two assistants by replying suddenly in excitement, "Good news, Beaker, Pipette! It's OK to use the equipment!" he cried with an eagle smile that played constantly upon his lips.

"That's great, Bunsen - c'mon Beaker, let's go!" she cried as her adrenaline rushed like mad; causing her to swing Beaker's arm in excitement. She followed Bunsen as he made his way back to the other room, practically dragging Beaker by the arm. He rushed to keep up, being pulled by the female scientist as he protected his bump from the corridor's chaos.

When they got to the room, Bunsen began to set up a few things as Pipette and Beaker trailed in after him; Beaker using his free hand to close the door. After Bunsen had set up the equipment, he turned round to face Pipette before asking her, "Did you tell Beaker why this has to be done back at the lab?" he said.

"Yes." Pipette said, nodding slightly.

"And what did he say?" Bunsen asked, now sporting a more quizzical look.

"He said that he's okay with it." Pipette said, smiling as she looked at Bunsen, then at Beaker as she kept her tight grip on the lab assistant's hand.

"Wonderful. Now then, Beaker, if you just prop yourself onto the examination unit and we'll get started." Bunsen said, referring to the unit by the ultrasound device. Beaker let go of Pipette's hand gently and quietly pulled himself onto the unit, ready for the ultrasound. Bunsen then turned to Beaker and said, "Okay, now you just need to expose your abdomen and lay back." Beaker did so, un-tucking his shirt and pulling it up to show his bump; and to complete his half-finished task, he slid his trousers down a tad to fully expose it. He then laid back silently and watched his arm dangle loosely down the side of the unit. Upon noticing this, Pipette reached down and held his hand firmly, feeling the warmth as she looked at him and gave him a cute grin. Beaker smiled back as he placed his other hand on his bump before turning to the computer's monitor, watching as it came to life.

"Right, now before we actually start…" Bunsen said, reaching his arm out and picking up a small tub of petroleum jelly; he then passed the tub to Pipette before saying, "…Pipette, if you could just rub a tad of that onto Beaker's bump, otherwise the waves won't penetrate and give us the image of the baby." Bunsen then added a bit of data into the machine as he set it up to reveal a blank examination screen on the monitor. The petroleum jelly felt cool on Beaker's bump, but Pipette's hand made it warmer - making the mix feel like the cool rush of an oncoming heat wave. When Pipette had finished, she stood sweetly by Beaker's side, still holding his hand and giving him another cute grin before looking at the screen, awaiting the results as Bunsen smiled at his two assistants and said, "So, Beaker, are you ready to find out how your little son or daughter's doing?"

"Meep." Beaker replied, smiling and giving Pipette's hand a brief squeeze to indicate anticipation. Bunsen then pulled the ultrasound sensor out of its gripping stand and positioned it on Beaker's abdomen; the untouched plastic felt cold and hard as it touched Beaker's skin, but it glided smoothly across thanks to the cool petroleum jelly. All three of them looked at the screen, and in a matter of seconds - the image of a small, unborn infant flickered onto the monitor.

As the three scientists watched the screen in awe, they could see the tiny baby as it lay there; not really doing much as it was probably sleeping. Bunsen's focus from the tiny foetus was then drawn to the baby's status that was recorded in bold letters at the left hand side of the screen. He smiled before turning to his two assistants and saying, "Well, Beakie, it seems that the baby's health is fine; the heart beats at a good pace and the development is going well - so, congratulations!"

Bunsen smiled at Beaker and Pipette - it was a simple yet effective way of celebrating the news. Beaker smiled back; it was good to know that the baby was doing well, but just seeing the image made Beaker think that, through all the pain - the morning sickness, the cramps, and the fears - that pregnancy was pretty damn sweet, after all. The image of the baby made Beaker think about the responsibilities of being a parent and that this was a baby Muppet, who just happened to need a name in five months time. So without further ado, the shy lab assistant spoke up, "Mee-mee-meep?" he asked, causing Bunsen to turn round and look at him.

"Oh, I'm sure you'll think of a name sometime, Beaker." Bunsen said, smiling before adding, "After all, you've still got five months to go."

"Mee-mee-mo." Beaker replied, resting his timid gaze on the baby once more; he could only think of the amazing feeling he felt to know that his unborn child was safe and sound, as to express it would be like releasing Animal into the open after a short car journey. Beaker just felt emotional, feeling both a mix of amazement and relief; the amazement came from the image on the screen - that was his baby and he or she was doing just fine, and the relief came from knowing that it's all OK. As he observed the tiny foetus on the screen, he began to think that this baby was a big step in his life, and that maybe he needed someone to help him and be with him in all this; someone to be like a mom to the baby when it's born, someone that amazes him through everything, and someone who he can trust… But even though he wished he knew what was missing, he sometimes thought he knew - Beaker just knew this through a secure, strong, spectacular feeling whenever he came across a certain girl. Beaker's stare at the monitor was quizzical, though he was smiling - the truth of his inner emotions could be shown through his eyes.

Moments later, a distant but loving sigh escaped Pipette's lips; she had not said or done anything but hold Beaker's hand and gaze at the screen. After a short while she piped up, "So amazing…" the female lab assistant managed to say softly before looking at Beaker. She gave his hand a gentle squeeze before saying, "…Isn't it? I mean, watching it develop is amazing enough, but to know that you're having this baby is just… wonderful!" Pipette said before embracing Beaker, resting her head on his shoulder; her eyes felt wet as she tried to hold the tears in. They were not tears of sadness or discomfort, but tears of joy and happiness; nothing that would've ever been more amazing and overwhelming enough to make her feel this way, but as she hugged Beaker, a lone tear trickled slowly down her cheek - it was the new life inside of Beaker that made her cry with such emotion. As she pulled away from the pregnant lab assistant, she quickly wiped the tear away and smiled at Beaker, "I truly reckon it's the luck you have that has made this baby develop so well, Beaker." she said, holding Beaker's hand and sniffling a little. Eventually, she gave up trying to hold the tears back, and so a hot rush of tears streamed from her eyes.

"Meep? Mee-mee-meep?" he asked her, putting a hand to her shoulder; Beaker sounded really concerned when he spoke to her this time as this was the first time she'd cried in front of him.

"Oh, nothing, Beaker - it's just that I'm so happy." she assured him, smiling reluctantly through her veil of tears. They kept running down her cheeks as she blinked, only to feel her cheeks flush a bright red; Pipette then noticed that when her eyes were closed, Beaker had pulled her into a tight hug. She didn't know what to say - that was so sweet of him; Bunsen, however, noticed them, but didn't interrupt as he thought Beaker could handle this one. As Beaker held Pipette in his arms, she was left speechless - but when they broke apart, she knew just the thing, "You know, Beaker - I'm always there if you need me." she said, wiping away the tears as she gave him a reassuring smile.

Suddenly, the sound of footsteps could be heard above the ruckus behind the closed door, followed by a patient knock. Pipette let go of Beaker's hand and silently went to open the door. When the female scientist pulled the door away from its frame, she revealed to Bunsen and Beaker who the estranged visitor was - it was Rowlf the Dog!

"Hi, guys, sorry for droppin' in like this, but I…uh… I forgot my music book." Rowlf said, in his usually gruff voice.

"Music book? Oh, it wouldn't happen to be this one here, would it, Rowlf?" Bunsen asked, referring to a well-used book of sheet music that rested neatly on top of a folded pile of surgeon's clothes.

"Huh? Oh yeah, that's the one." Rowlf replied, walking over to the pile and picking up the book. On his way back, he had noticed the screen and what was on it before saying, "So this is the baby that's been growing inside Beaker for four months, huh?" Rowlf sarcastically questioned; he knew it was Beaker's baby, but he didn't know how to ask such a sweet question in any other way using the gruff voice he had.

"Yes, the ultrasound results conclude that the baby's heart is beating at a good pace and the development is going well. So, on the whole - we've got a pretty healthy baby." Bunsen said formally as he smiled at the piano-playing dog.

"Awesome. And you know what, Beaker? If your baby's healthy and might survive - then you better start thinking of some names." Rowlf suggested.

"Mee-meep." Beaker said, putting a hand to his bump and smiling sympathetically at the dog.

"You have? Oh, well, what ones did you pick?" Rowlf asked.

"Meep. Mee-mee-mee-mo-ma." Beaker explained.

"You haven't because it's too early and you don't know the gender? Beaker, if I were you, I'd pick a few names; so when you do find out the gender, you can narrow it down a little. Trust me, it'd make things so much easier." Rowlf suggested, looking at Beaker with a friendly smile. Beaker took the advice and smiled back at the fuzzy, brown dog; maybe he should start thinking of names.

Moments later, Rowlf piped up again as he pulled the book up to his chest, "Well, I best be off - good luck with the pregnancy, Beaker; and tell me how the name-choosing goes!" he said before he turned round to go until Bunsen stopped him, "Um…Rowlf, before you go, is it all right to save the scan on your computer?"

"Uh, yeah that's fine, Bunsen - and feel free to print a copy if you want." Rowlf finished as he turned and walked out the door, shutting it behind him when he went.

After Rowlf had left with his book, Bunsen spoke up, "Right, I thinks it's about time we saved this scan and got back to the lab. But, before we go, Beaker, shall I print a copy for you?" he said, looking at his pregnant lab assistant.

"Meep meep." Beaker replied in response. Bunsen then pressed the print button and out came a copy of the ultrasound picture at the printer. Pipette walked up to the printer to collect the print-out and handed it to Beaker before saying, "Here, Beaker - it's a print-out of the ultrasound." she said, smiling.

"Meep." he said, smiling at her before looking at the picture and smiling - he was glad that his baby was OK. He then put the picture on the side-table; it lay neatly in between a box of tissues and a random surgical mask. Beaker then tried to sit up, but his bump of four months weighted him down slightly, making it hard - but after a few attempts, he managed it. When he sat up on the unit, Beaker noticed that his blouse had fallen over his slightly extended abdomen; he pulled it back up and pulled a tissue from the box, gently wiping the cool petroleum jelly off of his baby bump. Beaker then got down from the unit, scrunched-up tissue in hand, and watched his pail-turquoise blouse fall over the bump like a falling sack; he then put the use tissue on the side while he began to tuck his blouse into his trousers, which he pulled up to its normal level. When he was done, Beaker picked up the old tissue and discarded it before smiling at Bunsen and saying, "Meep."

"Okay, then why don't you and Pipette go on back to the lab while I save the scan on Rowlf's computer."

"Mee-meep." Beaker said before suddenly feeling a touch to his hand - it was Pipette; she had suddenly got hold of his hand. As Pipette held Beaker's hand, she looked at him and said, "Yeah, Beaker, let's go back to the lab."

"Mee-meep?" Beaker asked; he didn't know what they'd be doing when they get there.

"Uh… maybe we could think of names for the baby." the female scientist suggested, ultimately causing Bunsen to turn his head round and pipe up.

"Excellent idea, Pipette - I'll join you and Beaker in a few moments." he said, looking at Beaker and Pipette with a smile. Beaker looked at the pair of them, he was obviously confused; he clearly had no idea what to name his baby - but, then again, a few suggestions couldn't hurt him. Excited about the idea of helping Beaker choose baby names, Pipette looked at Beaker as she held his hand, before silently dragging him back to the lab.

When they got there, Pipette pulled Beaker through the door and shut it behind them. She looked up at him and smiled at him before saying, "So, Beaker, any thoughts on a name?"

"Meep." Beaker responded, shaking his head; he hadn't a clue what he should name it - and to make things worse, he hadn't a clue was the gender was, either.

"Well you have to name it something, Beaker. Why don't I start you off? I've always liked the name "Lois" - you know, if it's a girl." the female scientist enquired.

"Mee-mee-mee-mo-ma." Beaker said; he thought Pipette's suggestion was interesting, but he thought he could top it - if the baby wasn't a girl, that is.

"Aw, "Josh" sounds nice - but that's if it's a boy. My ideal name for a baby boy would be more on the lines of "McKenzie"? I don't know, Beaker - what do you think?" she said, thinking she could best "Josh".

"Mee-mee-meep." Beaker said, shaking his head - he didn't really agree with the name "McKenzie"; but he did agree with going back to the "if it's a girl" subject, "Mee-mee-meep?" he asked, wondering whether Pipette thought it was nice or not.

"Aw, "Megan"'s a nice name - it's a lot better than "Lois", I think." Pipette said, agreeing with Beaker, she thought that whatever the gender was, she and Beaker could still find a name.

Just then, Bunsen entered, causing the two lab assistants to look to the door and watch him come in. Bunsen came in carrying a clipboard; the one that he'd had with him pretty much all morning. Affixed to the board's metal clip was a few notes scribbled on lined paper and a black ball-point pen. Bunsen then walked up to the duo before saying, "So, any luck on finding a name?"

Pipette only felt the need to speak up, so she looked at him with a slightly concerned look and said, "Not yet, Bunsen - but we've talked about a few names."

"And they are?"

"Well, we thought that if it's a girl, Beaker came up with the name "Megan", while I said "Lois". And then we thought of some boy's names. Beaker suggested the name "Josh" and I came up with "McKenzie"." Pipette said, giving Bunsen the low-down on the situation; she knew that she and Beaker had put a lot of thought into those names - but still, nothing felt right.

"May I suggest a few names?" Bunsen said, his face lighting up; he'd never been given the chance to help with naming a baby before.

"I guess so… Beaker, what do you think?" Pipette asked, looking at Beaker.

"Mee-meep." he replied. Beaker appreciated the help he got from his friends; but after all, it was his baby, and he felt he should be responsible for the name - but then, how could he find something if he doesn't ask his friends for help?

"If Beaker's baby is going to be a boy, then I could put foreword the name "Steven"." Bunsen said, giving an honest opinion; he'd never put much thought into romance, so it never could've spun off into the thought of naming a child - Bunsen nearly always put science before everything else.

"Mee-meep!" Beaker squeaked; he seemed to agree with that name, it felt more normal naming it something like that, rather than the previous names that had been suggested.

"Aww, that's adorable, Bunsen - have you got any others?" Pipette asked, obviously interested in his ideas - she felt he always had a way with words, naming things place left, right and centre.

"Yes, fortunately I was thinking about the off chance that Beaker might give birth to a baby girl, for which I would consider suggesting the name "Zoe"." Bunsen said, he figured that naming a baby girl was going to be tough; but out of all the names in the world, he picked that one - he never knew why, but he just had his heart set on "Zoe".

"That's a beautiful name, Bunsen - would you really name a baby girl that?" Pipette asked, she was intrigued by Bunsen's sudden sensitivity and careful thought that he had put into this simple science experiment.

"I'll consider it, Pipette - but you must understand that this is a new life, and the name has got to relate to the child and what it will grow up to become." Bunsen said, he clearly understood the simple breakthroughs in science and the challenging advances they will turn into; he understood the responsibilities involved in a risk; and he clearly understood his friends - though he was nowhere near experienced.

"Okay…so, does that mean we have to consider a few different names then, Bunsen?" Pipette asked him; she didn't know how hard it was to choose a name, but, then again, she did have a few other names in mind, like "Janet" or "Andrew".

"Exactly, but we can't choose anything final yet - we still have to wait until Beaker's sixth month to find out the gender. That way, we can then go on to choose a specific name to suit the baby boy or girl."

"Okay, that sounds pretty reasonable." the female scientist agreed, as she understood exactly what Bunsen said and knew that she and Beaker had to keep thinking.

A little while later, when the vital things had been both said and done, the three scientists departed and went their separate ways to do their own thing. Everything was completely normal, Bunsen was typing up some data on the computer; Beaker was absentmindedly organizing some substances; and Pipette was giving the bookshelf a good tidy up. As Pipette pulled out the books, organizing them swiftly into stacks on a table, she began to consider thinking about the say. Her hands paced through the dusty books as she piled them into different piles based on subject and matter; it wasn't much of a scientific task to carry out, but she knew damn well it needed doing. Pipette watched herself as she carefully handled each book, and though she was still sorting out the mess, she began to think… 'Wow, what a day! I mean, first Beaker got his first ultrasound - and thank God the baby's OK, because I was so worried about all this… but I don't have to be anymore - because now me and Beaker are working out a name for the baby. And that was the other thing! We had a go at thinking of some names - and I gotta say, some of them were really nice…' Pipette thought as she continued going through the tatty clutter of books. Her mind was darting through everything from all the excitement, but it soon slowed down when another thought passed reluctantly into her scientific mind, "The day was awesome, though… I mean, like, all the stuff that happened and all the… emotion and feelings and - wait, what? Where am I going? What is all this? I-I think, somehow, that it's that feeling I get whenever I'm around Beaker… but what's it doing to me? What has this got to do with anything anymore?' she thought, suddenly stopping her chore and giving one of the books a dead stare - she was clearly stunned by the thought.

Meanwhile, as Beaker stood amidst the many substances he was organizing, putting them and placing them into their exact homes and habitats, he began to pull his mind into a rather puzzling thought… 'From all the emotions I've felt, why do I feel so strongly for Pipette with a feeling that I just can't understand? How can I make it clear to myself? And I know I've thought to "wait and see" about this - but it's the anticipation of the unknown that drives me to the brink of mental insanity! I'm not crazy - but, as far as I'm concerned, life's just a puzzle - fitting one piece towards the final picture just drives you to find the next piece with such excitement and a slight fear that you'll never reach your goal. Now enough about finding the next puzzle piece - I gotta find a name for my little boy or girl, and that's enough of a puzzle in itself; mainly because I gotta find a name that suits him of her, personality wise, and because I need to find a name that works for the right gender - whenever we find that out.' Beaker thought, stopping for a minute to pick up the picture he had earlier placed on the side; it was of the ultrasound he had a while ago. Beaker look at the picture, it was of a tiny, little foetus, just four months into it's development; and it was already starting to form, with little arms and legs all furled up into a foetal position - he couldn't help but wonder what this little thing might grow up to become. 'Oh yeah, and I got my first ultrasound today - and what an awesome thing that was; and what a beautiful baby I'm having! It's all so epic, plus I'm glad the baby's OK - and I gotta admit; I was a little scared of the ultrasound thing at first, but once it was over, I realized just how nice it is to know that my baby's doing well. But I just can't believe it though; that that little thing in the picture is my baby… aww. I've also got to agree with Pipette - it is quite amazing - how babies can grow so amazingly fast, but take a whole nine months to form into the person they were meant to become. Hmm… that reminds me - also how babies can do a lot of things - the feeling I get when I'm with Pipette; it really is strange, but I'm only linking it back to the baby because I've never felt this strongly around her before. Then it brings me back to Pipette; I'm still grateful for all she's said and done - and I'm just happy to think that I have such an awesome friend like her.' the assistant thought, soon putting the picture down and ending his thoughts with a happy one. He then put a hand to his abdomen, rubbing it as his unborn baby gave a small pang of pain for attention. When the pain was soothed, Beaker removed his warm hand and got on with the rest of his work.

As the rest of the day passed, the three scientists got on with the rest of the work in the science lab; whether it be an experiment or some cleaning - they could only find that a simple activity would generate such thoughts, and that such thoughts may just have enough power to alter the future.

**A/N: Hey guys, here's the tenth chapter. So, Beaker's baby is doing good and nor he or Pipette understand their own feelings - but how long will it stay like this? Will a new feeling be discovered? Will the baby still be okay? Find out in the next chapter! But until then - stay tuned! **


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11 - Feeling It, Too**

A glorious beam of golden sun rays shined through the window of Muppet Labs as Dr. Bunsen Honeydew and his two assistants, Beaker and Pipette began their day of science and discovery. The day began as normal, the three of them just working on separate things; Bunsen was writing up a conclusion for a previous experiment, Beaker was sketching a graphite structure out in pencil, and Pipette was scrubbing a rather grungy glassware collection of beakers and test tubes clean from yesterday.

The sun provided both a useful source of light as well as a new ray of hope for the three scientists, especially Beaker, who was currently having trouble with drawing a graphite structure. As the beam of light shone upon his work, it showed just how much progress he'd made in the sketch since he started about ten minutes ago, the piece of paper had several flat circles on it which represented atoms, lines which joined the atoms together, and thick, shaded arrows which explained where the electricity can be conducted through on the structure. Beaker scanned over his scientific masterpiece only to find that some of the lines connecting the atoms weren't straight, and that some of the flat circles he'd drawn didn't exactly look like perfect circles; so he did what any smart scientist would do and fix it so that it would look accurate. In desperate need of finding a rubber, Beaker picked up a few old textbooks that were uselessly lying on the table, in hope that someone had maybe left one under there, but as much as he looked under there - he found nothing but a ruler; which might just help him fix those crooked lines. Still in need of the famous drawing tool, Beaker thought quickly of the next place something like that could be; hmm… it was small and lightweight, and not much of a shaped object - that was it, if it didn't weigh much, had hardly any shape and was small - it must be in Beaker's lab coat pocket! Struck with the ingenious idea, Beaker's hand delved into his pocket at a quick speed and he rummaged around, feeling and finding many irrelevant bit and bobs - when at last, he found what he was looking for. Now happy that he'd found it, Beaker began to use the two tools he'd found to fix the few errors on his sketch. When he'd finished fixing up the drawing part of his sketch, he then began to turn the piece into a slightly detailed diagram by drawing arrows and writing notes about the element.

Meanwhile, over by the sink, Pipette was busy scrubbing and scraping at the many grungy beakers and test tubes, trying to remove the nasty, light-green substance. Her fingernails had become dirty when she had abandoned the use of a sponge as she tried to get them clean. Pipette had worked so hard on them, she had tried everything from soaking them with warm water to rubbing them with a smooth edge of metal - but nothing worked; and still she blamed herself for leaving them until the morning, ultimately causing the light-green goo to dry on and solidify, hardening the stuff on like a rock. As Pipette continuously worked on cleaning the items, she couldn't help but put a thought towards the baby; she had read in a book a while back that at five months, it should start becoming a little more active, and should very soon start to kick…

Beaker, on the other hand, was still busy writing notes around his detailed graphite sketch - when a sudden beat struck him from the inside! Startled, Beaker dropped his pencil, took a step back and looked down at his baby bump, obviously where the strange but sharp pain came from - much to Bunsen's surprise as well. Slightly alarmed by his pregnant assistant's little scare, the green-skinned doctor spoke up, "Beaker, are you OK?" Bunsen asked, clearly worried about Beaker; he'd never seen him do that before.

Beaker just put his hand on his bump and stood up straight before giving Bunsen a rather reluctant squeak, "Mee-meep." he said, just pondering about what that short pain was… until it happened again! But Beaker, however, played it cool as he had his hand on his bump, detecting the origin of the smack he just felt, only to discover that it was no ordinary beat from the inside - it was the baby; the baby had just given Beaker a little kick to let him know it was OK. Beaker smiled greatly as he looked down at his abdomen, his hand holding it, feeling the tiny baby kick. Feeling this, he was no longer shocked; instead he was just relieved and a tad bit restless. Brewing with excitement, Beaker wandered over to Pipette in a bit of a hurry - he just had to share this amazing experience with someone.

"Meep?" Beaker asked once he reached Pipette's location, getting the female scientist's attention.

"Yeah, Beaker?" she said, flicking the water off her soapy hands as she turned round to face him, accidentally spattering him in the process, "Oh, sorry if I got you…" she said softly, but in an apologetic tone. Beaker silently showed her that it was OK by smiling knowingly at her and wiping the spattered drops of water on his lab coat so that they were less visible.

"Now, what is it that you need?" she asked, wondering what Beaker could possibly want from her as she was currently dealing with all things wet. She looked at him, still pondering with her hands touching the sides of her lab coat. That is, until Beaker reached foreword and took her hand, pulling it over his bump as he felt some more movement from the baby. As Pipette's hand touched Beaker's extended abdomen, Beaker immediately felt the warmth of her hand after it had been in contact with water; and Pipette, however, felt a small kick in return for her care and devotion throughout all of this. Utterly amazed, the female scientist gasped in response, "Oh… my God - did the baby just kick my hand?" she asked quietly in astonishment; she'd never in her life experienced this before - it was truly breathtaking. His hand stay still on top of hers for the next few seconds as she looked into his eyes, connecting with him like the epic wires of a flaming spark-fire. After a while, Pipette moved her gaze down onto Beaker's bump; and, being a scientist, she felt the need to experiment. Gently, the female scientist moved her wet hand slowly up and down Beaker's extended abdomen, and, to her amazement - the baby kicked wherever her hand would stay; clearly Beaker's little boy or girl must of known she was there. Moments later, the female scientist removed her hand from his bump, making the warmth from his damp, hand-printed blouse fade as the chill set in over him bump. She then looked up at him, affixing his eyes with hers before saying, "This is amazing - that tiny, little baby just kicked my hand - I think it knows who we are." she said, locking stares with his shocked eyes; she could see the tinge of sapphire blue shining against the mix of black, captivating her with ease - she really did believe that the two of them had a close relationship with the baby, almost like together, they were the parents. As she looked at him, her gaze zoned out from her previous affixation of her eyes to his, and a smile formed on her lips as she said, "That was so sweet of you to share this with me - but I think it's time we shared it with someone else…" the female scientist decided as she soon turned her head round only to find Bunsen flicking through a newly-opened physics book, "Hey, Bunsen - you know the baby?"

"Yes?" he said, pulling his nose out of the book and looking at her.

"It just kicked Beaker, and now it's kicking me!" she cried, motioning for him to come over, as the female scientist was just astounded that the baby was finally showing signs of movement.

Moments later, Beaker and Pipette were joined by Bunsen, who tottered over in a slight hurry. Struck with a state of epic excitement, the green-skinned scientist looked at his two assistants in slight disbelief as he asked the question, "When did it start kicking?"

"Mee-mee-mee-mo-ma." Beaker replied, remembering just how startled he was when he felt the painful movement.

"Oh, yes - I did ask how you were when you looked a bit shocked earlier on, and now I know that it's nothing to worry about." Bunsen said, as earlier on, he did get quite a scare when he saw Beaker like that; he truly did have reason to believe that something was wrong. "Anyway, where did it kick you?" he asked, sounding quite eager as he knew he didn't want to miss this.

"Mee-mee-meep." Beaker said, putting his hand on the place where the baby kicked to answer Bunsen's question; the spot where Beaker felt the kick was just a tad above his belt.

"Oh, there. Beaker, just because I don't know - did it hurt?" Bunsen asked, wanting to know just how Beaker felt through all this; and after all, he wasn't Beaker - so how could he resist asking?

"Mee-meep." he replied, in answer to Bunsen's question; his answer was pure and simple - it did hurt, and there was no denying it.

"So, if your saying that it hurts, then what does it feel like as a movement?" Pipette asked; she'd never been pregnant, and as much as the next person, she too was curious about how everything felt from the first kick down to the last contraction.

"Mee-mee-mo." Beaker said; giving his answer any other way would not be true, in other words: it felt like a kick, but just from a different perspective. That was it - that the kick was a kick and that there was nothing new about it - and that no amount of words could match it up to what it was.

"So that's why you got freaked out, because the baby kicking on the inside was so sudden!" Pipette concluded - everything was clear now.

However, another sudden kick from the baby caused the concluded understandings to be cut short, as a rather surprised Beaker put a hand to his bump and muttered, "Ooh…meep?"

"Again? Boy - that baby's really energetic today." Pipette jokingly said; she knew it would be moving around a lot - but she just decided to pull a more fun tone over the sunny but quizzical atmosphere.

"Meep." Beaker replied, answering her question, but not exactly getting the joke. But even the kick hurt him, he still managed to smile through the small pain; and being quite excited by this, Beaker looked at Bunsen and said, "Mee-mee-meep?"

"Oh, Beakie - I'd love to feel the baby kick." he answered; Bunsen had never felt a baby kick from inside someone before, and even though he looked experienced in pretty much everything - this was still new to him. So without further ado, Bunsen reached out his arm and placed his hand on Beaker's bump, just as Beaker took his own hand away. Through the layers of flesh and clothing, Bunsen was sure he felt a foot coming his way, as a tiny, dimensional, ball-like object came at him like a kitten who was ready to pounce at a roaming mouse. Bunsen smiled as he felt the little smack on his palm; and just like the other scientists, he too was amazed at this epic sign of life. When the baby had finally given it's little kicking spree a rest, Bunsen gently removed his hand and smiled at Beaker as he said, "And the baby just started kicking today? Wow, Beaker - all I can really say is that this truly is a victory for science."

"Meep?" Beaker asked; was this really a victory for anything scientific? Or was he just glad that the baby had started kicking?

"Definitely, not only did the baby just start to become more active today - but it has also marked another milestone in Muppet history: a major event in the maternal cycle of a male!" Bunsen cried in a hype of sheer joy; the true amazements of science and discovery always seemed to overwhelm him, taking his passion for the subject up to a whole new level.

Minutes had passed from the thoroughly exciting event, and the three scientists were smiling - the atmosphere had hit a joyful high and not a thing could ruin it. As the group of smart Muppets were exchanging looks of excitement and happiness, each one of them had a hidden set of thoughts, especially Beaker and Pipette, on how the events went that day. Those quizzical thoughts and reviews stayed with them as they soon parted their separate ways and went back to their previous works.

About half an hour later, the three scientists were set on their acquired tasks; Bunsen getting stuck into a rather bright experiment, Beaker starting a new sketch, this time involving carbon monoxide, and Pipette finishing off her extended task of cleaning the grungy glassware collection from earlier. The three scientists worked their way through their jobs, doing what they had to as the thoughts inside their minds developed…

Beaker was leaning over a table, a pencil in his hand as he neatly sketched the molecules to the element carbon monoxide. As he worked on his scientific masterpiece, he began to have oncoming thoughts as to how the day went… 'Wow, my baby started kicking today; because I knew it would be around the fifth month - but I didn't know it would be today, and boy, was that a shock? If I had to explain it - I wouldn't say it was a bad, freaked-out shock; but more of an amazing shock. I don't know if anyone else agrees with me - but I mean, how epic was it to actually feel some sign of life from the baby? That also leads me to a few other questions concerning the baby - my mind is buzzing with thoughts; like is the baby a boy or a girl? And, is it still OK in there? I mean, I'm only thinking of questions because who knows what the answers are? And the only answers I can think of are that no-one knows yet and that I'm only gonna find out next month. Life's like a puzzle, you know - you've really got to find the answers. And that brings me to my next thing; somehow, with all the good things around me happening - I just don't feel complete: in other words, I still need to find what's missing. I mean, I'm happy with everything at the moment, but I still think that I just need one more thing to make it completely right. But the thing is… I have no idea. Sometimes I think that the missing piece is something so near, yet so far. Then I come to my final thing to think about for the day - Pipette; wow she's nice… there's nothing more to say, except the face that she smiled at me today - I think she likes me! And I know she likes me as a friend, but this time, I don't know what way she likes me - and to be honest I don't know if I like her in the same way…' Beaker thought, slowly ending his stream of thoughts and getting back to earth. Reality came back much quicker, though; as if he knew it when a kick came into position with rough force which lead Beaker to state one last thought, 'And come to think of it - kicks really hurt.' Beaker thought finally as he began to finish his sketch and start adding to the many flocks of detailed notes to it.

Meanwhile, Pipette was still at the sink; now using her nails at a high speed, scrubbing away at the green goop as it stayed there, still as a statue and not moving. She only ever felt a slight smile play on her lips whenever she saw the dry gunge chip off. As she worked to clean the equipment she began to think… 'Wow, the kick's got me thinking about the day… like how amazing life is, especially when the signs start so early on. Aww… that's just so amazing, you know, how everything changes and one thing leads to another…' she thought, scrubbing a test tube hard, watching the worn gunk come off. She had realized that to do one thing can go to doing another thing… and how thinking of the baby could lead to Beaker… 'And that behind every discovery is a countless collection of thoughts, that could only lead to the truth…' the female scientist pondered, pacing herself from the baby, to Beaker… to a song. It was a song she's heard on the radio; one that leads life to and from so many things, and even though she's gone from test tube to conical flask - she still could not get the words out of her head…

_When you're all by yourself, baby - I got you; _

_If you need someone, call baby - I got you; _

_There's no need to be lonely; (I got you) _

_And I know that you got me too, boy… _

It was all she could think of, until those very words had poured more thoughts into her buzzing mind, '…Maybe the truth could point to the song, and maybe it's because I keep saying that I'm always there if he needs me…but maybe it's because - I got Beaker. And it's really making me think, you know, what all of this could mean… and I think I may have the reason for my feelings; maybe it's because I like Beaker a lot to say that we could be more than friends. I really think it could be a little something like love - or maybe I'm just weird! Ha - love - I crack myself up sometimes, I really do. Like, I mean if it was love I would've known by now, right?" the female scientist thought, sceptical of her own beliefs. Mainly, she was true to herself; but sometimes, she found she had to wait for the truth to unfold - leaving her in a sea of false findings.

Pretty much everyone in the lab had found that today of all days was a discovery. It was a discovery regarding the vital signs of life from Beaker's baby; as well as discovery involving the thoughts that linked to the eventful truth behind confusing emotions.

**A/N: Well, that's Chapter 11! The baby's just started kicking and thing's aren't all they seem as the thoughts unravel. Anyways, the next chapter will mean big changes as we find out the baby's gender and Beaker's feelings towards Pipette. Stay tuned - and don't forget to read and review! **


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12 - A Real Gender Bender**

Exactly half a year had passed since the experiment took place and it was now the day that marked the date when Beaker could finally find out whether he was having a boy or a girl. The morning shone over the lab as Beaker walked in on this fine day in July to find Bunsen and Pipette working on an experiment; he looked at them with tired eyes as the baby had been kicking and moving around a lot lately. Beaker's worn eyes blinked as he remembered the last month, which had not been kind to him; the sleepless nights, the physical pressure, the countless trips to the bathroom - but was it all worth the wait? Was the patience to find out the gender worth ass the physical struggle? Maybe…just maybe…

As his knackered eyes fell on Pipette, he thought quickly to greet her in a positive manner before this physical struggle could drag him down once more, "Meep-meep."

"Oh, morning, Beaker - I hope you're ready for today's little ultrasound!" she said in a rather chirpy manner for she couldn't wait to find out the baby's gender.

"Meep." he said, sighing slightly; he still had a smile, but that was the only thing wrapping up his painful negativity.

"Cool, because… hang on, it is today - isn't it, Bunsen?" she asked him, tapping him on the shoulder; Pipette felt the excitement build up inside her and knowing that the ultrasound was near made her brain go all jittery, causing her to focus on one thing and to forget what was what and where was where.

"Huh, what? Ultrasound? Ultrasound… Ultrasound… Oh yes! It's today." Bunsen said, reminding himself and the female scientist that today was in fact the day of a true revelation, "…Which reminds me… Pipette, could you please go and find Rowlf to check if it's OK to use the equipment this morning."

"Sure thing, Bunsen!" Pipette replied cheerfully, smiling at both of the boys before walking to the door, turning round and saying, "I'll be back in a minute!"

"Okay." Bunsen said, securing the female lab assistant's proposal before turning to Beaker and saying, "So, yes - this ultrasound will conclude if the baby's healthy and whether your having a baby boy or a baby girl."

The tiredness came over Beaker and he didn't speak, but he did smile and nod - it was his way of saying that he understood.

Meanwhile, Pipette began to make her way to the set of Veterinarian's Hospital, on her quest to find Rowlf the Dog; as she slid past the likes of Dr. Teeth and the Electric Mayhem, Miss Piggy and Scooter, she soon overcame the ruckus of the busy corridor between the two rooms. Upon opening the door of her destination, she came across Rowlf the Dog, in his persona of Dr. Bob; his surgeon's gear draped his furry, brown body like a pale-green sea of summery warmth. She looked at him and smiled at him with an awkward look in her eyes; she'd never spoken to him in person very often and she figured today would be a good day to interact with someone other than Bunsen and Beaker. So, without further ado she tapped him on the shoulder and said, "Um… Rowlf?"

"Huh? Oh, Pipette - you're from Muppet Labs, aren't you?" he asked, wondering just who she was exactly.

"Yes, is there something wrong?"

"No, on - it's just I figured that one of you would probably be down here to ask about the equipment." he replied.

"That's right - so, can we?" the female scientist asked, wondering if it was OK with Rowlf.

"Of course, just let me pack up and you can move right on in."

"Okay." she agreed, watching the musical surgeon take off his "Dr. Bob" persona and abandon it for his true identity of Rowlf the Dog. Once he was finished changing, she walked to the door and glanced over at him before saying, "I'm just gonna pop back to the lab and tell the boys it's OK." she noted, looking at the dog for a response.

"Cool, I'll just stay here and make sure nobody snags it for ya." the furry pianist replied, looking at her while absentmindedly folding his gear away.

"Okay," responded the female scientist as she quickly darted out the door to the messy corridor; neatly slipping past the population of Muppets known as Lew Zealand, Kermit the Frog, Dr. Teeth and the Electric Mayhem, as well as a military clad clan of trumpeting penguins. When she finally reached the lab, Pipette silently opened the door to find Bunsen and Beaker looking raring and ready to go. She looked at them with a smile and said, "Rowlf said it was OK and we can use it in a minute when he's packed up."

"Wonderful! Come on, Beakie - let's go!" Bunsen replied, looking at the timid lab assistant with glee.

As the trio of budding scientists set out, they closed the door to the lab behind them and ventured out across the packed corridor. On the way, they figured they had to slip between the army of musical penguins; duck when they came across the Electric Mayhem, who somehow found that practicing in the hall was a good idea; and dodge the flying fish coming from Lew Zealand as he was trying to showcase his act for Kermit. Seeing these things made Bunsen and Pipette take cover, and Beaker protect his unborn child as they made their way past the mayhem in between the two rooms.

When they finally reached Veterinarian's Hospital, Pipette opened the door to the set only to find that Rowlf had already packed up and left, leaving a note on the side to explain that the room had been taken and the reason why. Pipette lead the way, passing the note she'd read when they arrived, Bunsen and Beaker following; Bunsen only stopped the flow slightly by picking up the note and lifting his glasses from his eyes to get a better look at the slightly-scrapped sheet. Pipette then turned round and gave Bunsen a slight look of enthusiasm before saying, "Looks like we're all set up; so, um, I guess we better get started, then, shouldn't we?"

Her words and sudden movement into conversation brought Bunsen out of his trance of note-reading and back into reality, "Yes, actually - maybe we should." he said, setting his black-rimmed spectacles back onto his nose and faced the female scientist. Bunsen then walked over to the ultrasound device, booting up its computer and waiting for it to set itself up while saying, "We should really think ourselves lucky, as with so many people around this place - we're almost too thankful we've snagged this equipment before someone else like Gonzo." he said, then adding the vital data into the system once the computer was set up and the programme was running. As soon as the blank ultrasound examination screen came into view on the monitor, Bunsen turned towards the two other scientists and said, "Right then, Beaker, if you just sit up on that examination unit and lay back, same as you did last time - and then all you need to do is expose your abdomen." The green-faced doctor then looked at the female scientist as she stood there, awaiting her task, "And you, Pipette, can just smear some of this petroleum jelly onto Beaker's bump." he said, handing her a small tub, "this will help the ultrasound waves get through everything and show us a clear picture of the baby on the monitor." he said, reminding them from last time.

About half a minute later, when the vital things were done, Bunsen then reached out to the ultrasound sensor's hold and pulled out the sensor, watching as the wire dangled below. He then looked at Beaker, who was laid back with his bump exposed and covered with many smears of petroleum jelly, with the ultrasound sensor in his hand at the ready. Bunsen then smiled at Beaker before asking the question, "So, Beaker - are you ready?"

"Meep." Beaker answered; in his mind he guessed he was ready to find out just how his baby was doing, and whether he was going to give birth to a baby boy or a baby girl.

"Ok, now if I just glide this sensor along your abdomen like so, I might pick up something…" Bunsen said, moving the equipment across Beaker's bump; to Beaker, the touch of hard plastic against his growing belly felt sore, like he had been beaten mercilessly along his middle with a plank of wood.

Suddenly, the computer's monitor flickered to life; revealing the image of a kicking foetus. Bunsen peered closely at the screen before addressing Beaker and Pipette with the results. He kept looking at the screen as he read out the information present on the left-hand side of the screen, "Well, Beaker, it appears to me that you have a healthy baby, who is both active and has good development as well as a steady heart rate…" Bunsen read aloud as he looked at the baby, trying to find out the gender of the unborn child.

"What about the sex?" Pipette asked, piping up after a long period of silence.

"I was just coming to that, Pipette. And, Beaker, it shows on the monitor that you are going to have a healthy baby… boy!" Bunsen announced as he turned back to Beaker and Pipette, smiling at the new-found revelation. It was those words that made Beaker smile and tear up slightly, though he tried his best not to show it. It was those words that made Pipette lean over and pull Beaker into a tight embrace and squeak, "Congratulations, Beaker!" all of a sudden. It was those words that made Beaker think, 'Wow - everything's going so fast: my heartbeat, the pregnancy, life itself between me and… Pipette?' he thought, stuck in a current daze as the female scientist pulled away from him. Pipette was puzzled by his suddenly stunned stare and looked at him with slight concern before saying, "Are you okay, Beaker?"

"Meep… Meep." he said, pulling himself out of the trance of deep thoughts and mentally organising his current focus.

"Well, you should be - 'cause you're gonna have a little baby boy!" she said in a cute rush, smiling as she mentally cooed at the thought; quickly conjuring up a few boy's names…

"Meep…" he said, smiling weakly at her; he was happy about this, but the pains of pregnancy were getting to him, and when they got him - they pulled him right down.

"And might I add another congratulations, too, Beaker." Bunsen said, he too was happy of the discovery of the new arrival's gender, and had considered telling Kermit and the others - but then he was reminded of the consequences. As the green-faced doctor gazed at the image of the baby boy in front of him, though; he realised just how fun keeping a secret can be.

"Mee-meep." he said, thanking him; he was just grateful he had friends that cared about him and everything significant that happened in his life.

A little while after the revelation, Bunsen looked at the screen for about a minute, wondering what to do; it was a beautiful baby, but he just had no idea what to do next - should he save it? Is it OK to print? To answer his little queries, Bunsen turned to Pipette and asked her something, "Listen, I really don't know if it's okay to save or print; so, Pipette, if I stay here with Beaker and man the computer - would you go and find Rowlf? Just tell him we're done with the equipment and then ask him if it's okay to save and print." he said, giving her a slightly desperate look as he knew Rowlf was somewhere else and not here to be asked permission.

"Sure, Bunsen - that's no problem at all." the female scientist answered, feeling happy that she could help out in a pretty important situation.

"Excellent, but I have just one more question for you." he asked, clearly building up some minor suspense.

"What's that?"

"Are you sure you won't get lost?" he joked; Bunsen had that one in him for a while as he chuckled softly at his little joke.

"Positive." she said, giggling slightly as she got his gag: she understood what he meant but even though she had only been here for about a year, they both agreed that sometimes that even that amount of time still isn't enough to adjust to all the chaos. As Pipette laughed along to the joke, she found her head felt rather light, so she scanned her focus across the room, even to find that Beaker, though all this pain, could find it in himself to have a good laugh. After a few seconds, though, Bunsen spoke through the laughter and spoke to Pipette in a slightly firmer tone, "But, seriously, though - if you need any help in getting around, do not hesitate to ask anyone." he reassured her, as he knew that her time spent here so far was mostly spent in the Lab - and that it would be good for her to interact with someone else for a change.

"Okay, Bunsen - I won't forget to ask." she said, holding back a few stifled giggles that she oh-so casually breathed out. Quickly and quietly calming herself down, Pipette soon headed to the door and left the two scientists as she started her quest to find Rowlf the Dog.

Soon after she left Veterinarian's Hospital, Pipette had cleared the rather funny thoughts from her mind and began the search for Rowlf. Focused on the task Bunsen had set her, she looked at the many Muppets in front of her; and she knew he liked music, so she then knew that she must look for something musical… That's it! Pipette suddenly had an idea, she rushed through the crowd of other Muppets standing in front of her and headed for the music room! The female scientist was set on reaching her next destination and she scooted past the likes of Lew Zealand and his Boomerang Fish, the Swedish Chef, and Scooter.

When she got to the music room, however, she opened the door to find that there was no-one there apart from Fozzie Bear. Fozzie, upon the opening of the door, looked up at her with a look of sudden quizzical interest. Before she had come in, Fozzie was practicing his rendition of "The Rainbow Connection" by his best pal, Kermit; he knew it was a banjo-type song, but Fozzie just thought it sounded nice on the piano. The bear brought his furry paws off of the piano keys, got up and walked over to her before saying, "Um… you're the scientist girl, right? … Pipette, is it?" he asked, looking at her; Fozzie had never really gotten the chance to know Pipette through the science she did in the lab, he only mainly knew her name and what she did, but nothing more. Many insist that once you arrive at a place like this, you have to try and get on with your own thing; but all but a frog could suggest that, for Kermit believed that everyone had do work together no matter what sometimes.

"Yes, that's it. And you're that bear - Fozzie, right?" she asked, getting acquainted with the fuzzy comedian.

"Of course - Fozzie Bear, amateur comedian at your service. Now, what can I do for you, Pipette?"

"Well… Bunsen needs me to find Rowlf, so that I can ask him something, and I wondered if you know where he is…" the female scientist confessed, giving Fozzie the general picture.

"Okay… well I haven't seen him - maybe he's in the orchestra pit, talking to Nigel." Fozzie suggested kindly; he didn't really know Rowlf's exact location, but he figured those words might help.

"Right, orchestra pit, right - then I best head off; it was nice talking to you, Fozzie." she said, making her way to the door before he suddenly stopped her. Pipette looked down as she noticed that he had his hand on her shoulder; Fozzie then pulled her gently by the arm and looked at her with sweet, desperate eyes.

"And before you go, I do have one question to ask you - do you think I was good?" he asked, practically begging for a positive review.

"Well, it's not like you don't have a talent there." she said, being honest to him because it was true.

"Really? You mean it?" he asked in disbelief, questioning the actuality of his new-found talent.

"Absolutely, it was good - just don't keep putting yourself down and you'll do just fine."

"Gee, thanks Pipette - you're a real friend; and I know we've only just met properly, but… just, thank you for being honest, okay?"

"That's OK, Fozzie - now I really gotta go find Rowlf - I've been gone for nearly five minutes." she warned him; it was really nice to stay and chat but he really ought not to keep her.

"Okay, okay - I won't keep you here any longer - now go, before I say something like that again." Fozzie said, urging her to get on with her task, literally pushing her gently out the door as he got her on her way. Pipette turned towards the door and left the room before saying one last thing to Fozzie as she made her way out of the music room.

"Right. Anyway, it was nice getting to know you - bye." she said, closing the door to the room and leaving the comedian to his musical renditions of famous movie music.

Pipette then let go of the door knob to the music room and made her way to the orchestra pit; where she was certain Nigel would be, but only guessed that Rowlf may be present. She made her way to her second current destination, slipping through Muppets of sorts, such as the Swedish Chef, Gonzo the Great and Dr. Teeth and the Electric Mayhem. When she had finished slipping through the chaotic mix of singing food, canons and instruments, the female scientist found a clear exit and a start to a new corridor, which she figured led to the stage - regarding the sign she saw on the wall. Set on her new destination, Pipette dodged past the clan of rats and penguins and she made her way down to the stage, which would then lead her to the orchestra pit.

As soon as she got there, she found an empty crowd of theatre audience seats, a dead stage, and a deserted orchestra pit with one person in it - Nigel the conductor - who was carefully picking up odd bits of music that the others might have left behind. Curious about the whereabouts of her good pal, Rowlf, Pipette walked up to him, the orchestra's wall being the only thing separating them, and said, "Um… hi, Nigel - do you know where Rowlf could be. It's just, I haven't seen him, and I need to ask him something." she asked, in desperate need of the medically-educated musician as she knew she couldn't keep the boys waiting up in Veterinarian's Hospital.

"Who? Rowlf? Um… well, no - I haven't seen him lately, to be honest. So, no - I don't know where he could be."

"Okay…" she said, slightly downhearted at the fact that he wasn't here.

"Sorry if I couldn't help, but I just don't know exactly where he - all I know is that he's been running around a lot and lately." he said, stuttering slightly in an apologetic tone as he looked at her, holding the loose sheets of music in his yellow hands before saying to her, "My only advice is to just keep asking people until you find him - and just catch him when you can." he advised her, with a slight knowing smile playing on his lips.

"Thanks, I'll keep trying - now I better go and try to find him, bye." she said, turning round and leaving the firm conductor as he silently finished cleaning up the paper-strewn floor, that was casually left by his usual team of musicians.

As she left the stage area, wandering up the corridor that lead to the back of the stage, Pipette took Nigel's advice about catching him while she can - but, how could she catch him if she didn't even know where he was? The female scientist tried to figure that one out as she skimmed through the hallway of Muppets who were still hanging about. Dodging the knee-high army of penguins and rats, Pipette finally managed to get to the end of the corridor and reach backstage.

When she got there, a crowd of Muppets caught her attention, their uncontrollable chaos pulling her mind away from the focus of her winding task. She saw everyone regarding the likes of Lew Zealand, the Swedish Chef and Dr. Teeth and the Electric Mayhem; until she had an idea - Rowlf always had a knack for playing with other musicians, but who else in here has awesome musical talent? Let's see, the Swedish Chef is good at cooking, and the only thing Lew Zealand is good for is hurling fish through holes, so then that must leave Dr. Teeth and the Electric Mayhem - that's it! The Electric Mayhem are the only people seen backstage a lot with loads of musical talent - and therefore, those are the ones she should turn to for help next!

Currently psyched with her next bright idea, Pipette spotted and walked over to the music group known as Dr. Teeth and the Electric Mayhem. When she approached them, she saw five boys and a girl. The boys looked like nothing bothered them and their musical ways; the girl looked the same but somehow, her unforgettable smile told a different story. Out of the five boys she saw in the band, she noticed that the leader wore a colourful frock of sparkly colours, a pink, floppy top hat and a gold tooth; the bass player wore a bright red sergeant's jacket, adorned with gold fasteners and a green army cap atop his hot red head; the saxophonist wore a navy blue hat covering a poof of blues curls, sunglasses and a sandy-yellow smock top; the trumpeter wore an elaborately-embroidered dashiki, with colourful beads around his neck and he had fluffy, blonde hair complete with a scruffy, blonde goatee; and the drummer had a yellow-red coloured shirt, a spiked restraint chain and a hyped look on his furry, red face. And then there was the girl: a pretty bohemian with sunny-blonde hair, chilled-out eyes that remained forever closed and full, red lips. The five boys went by the names of Dr. Teeth, Floyd Pepper, Zoot, Lips and Animal, and the girl went by the name of Janice.

Looking at the band members with slight enthusiasm she tapped the girl, Janice on the shoulder as she didn't want to talk to the boys because of their zoned-out looks before saying, "Hey, um, Janice, is it? Uh, do you know where Rowlf the Dog is - I need to talk to him about something?" she asked, figuring this would be the next step to finding him.

"Hey, you're that scientist chick, aren't you?" Janice said, in a friendly tone, showing Pipette that it's OK to speak around the band.

"Yes."

"Yeah, it's like, nice to meet you - and, um, no, like, I don't know where he is - why, like, what do you want to talk to him about?"

"Oh, not much, just to ask if it is OK to use the printer in Veterinarian's Hospital?"

"Um, even though I'm a nurse there - I don't know if it's OK or not. Hang on, the printer… to the computer?" Janice questioned, edging her way around the female scientist and getting to the root of what she was after.

"Yes. The one connected to the-"

"Ultrasound? Cool; anyway, how are things between you and Beaker… and the baby?" Janice asked, nudging Pipette into telling her more about the situation.

"Good, good - everything's going well and me and Beaker are just fine." Pipette answered simply.

"Awesome - you know, you and Beaker are pretty close - is there something goin' down there?" Janice asked, pulling Pipette into the thought of opening up.

"…I'm not sure; but, if we're close - then that's just the way me and Beaker are." Pipette answered, dragging herself away - she had no idea why she was so close, and no idea what was going on between them - so she passed the rather touchy thought by saying to the pretty hippie, "Listen, if you know who I can turn to to find out where Rowlf is - please let me know."

"Um, OK… well, Zoot was just watchin' whatever he sees - he's not too like, into much - go ask him if he's seen Rowlf." Janice advised, referring to the blue-skinned man dressed in a yellow smock top and blue jeans, with curly, long hair that was a deep shade of blue, contrasting greatly to his dark hat and sunglasses.

As Janice guided Pipette over to the sax player, the blue-skinned man looked at her through his sunglass lens as he held his saxophone close to his hip with one hand before saying, "Hey, um…" he said, forgetting all that existed; Zoot's words mainly consisted of small mutters and mumbles as he slowly burned out with age.

"Pipette." the female scientist said, filling in for the quiet hippie.

"Um, yeah… Pipette. Groovy name. Anyways… uh, what can I like, do for you, huh?" he mumbled, spacing out in a half-dead tone.

"Um, do you know where Rowlf the Dog is - I need to ask him if it's OK to use something up in Veterinarian's Hospital."

"If, uh, you don't mind me asking, but, like - what do you wanna use 'cause, like, Janice is like, a nurse there?"

"Yeah, I know - it's just that, it's um… for the ultrasound's printer?" she asked, a tad nervous; she'd never talked to Zoot about something like this before.

"Oh, like, congratulations… um, how far along are you?" he said, his burned-out nature caused him to mistake things for the obvious as he brought his skinny, blue hand foreword and placed it on the female scientist's stomach.

"Oh no, Zoot, I'm not… pregnant - if that's what you think. God, no - it's Beaker who's having the baby, not me." she corrected him, taking his hand and guiding it away from her middle as she blushed slightly; that one was a first - a thought too soon she might add. "Anyway, do you know where Rowlf could be because I've been gone for over ten minutes?" she warned, scolding them both slightly as she knew she really couldn't keep the boys waiting for too long.

"Uh, like, yeah… I think so…" he answered, plain and simple.

"Great, Zoot - where is he?"

"Like, just before you got here, he, sorta like, went into Kermit's office for something." the sax player finished, pointing a thin, blue hand to a corridor which had a visible door at the end of it, "It's that one down there."

"Thanks, Zoot - I really appreciate it." she said, pulling the musician into a quick hug; thanking both him and his weary yet accurate memory in one act that marked the beginning of a proper friendship.

After that, the female scientist turned and left him, only to follow his directions and go to Kermit's office. Zoot's advice lead her straight down the corridor, which, unlike most of the other hallways in this theatre, were not filled to the brim with Muppets. Instead, the latter only had a few characters from the likes of Miss Piggy to Gonzo the Great; when, at last she came upon the door to Kermit's office - it was a beautiful, dark-mahogany-coloured piece hinged to the theatre wall, bearing only a silver doorplate, spelling out Kermit's name in sparkly, golden letters. Pipette stared at the wooden beauty for a few seconds before entering the room behind it.

When she did enter the room, little did she know that Kermit and long-lost soul Rowlf the Dog were talking beforehand; as they put their conversation on hold when the female scientist looked at them, closing the door behind her. Both the amphibian and the canine looked at her when she came in; the whole room was in a state of awkward silence before Kermit decided to speak up, "Just a minute, Rowlf. Ah, Pipette - what can I do for you on this fine day?" he asked, looking at her while sorting a few sheets of paper atop his rather scruffy-looking desk in the process.

"Oh, uh, hi, Kermit. Um, I just came in here to ask Rowlf something - I've been searching for him for a while, now." she answered, reluctantly referring to the piano-playing surgeon.

"OK, then - ask away, Pipette." he said, referring to Rowlf as well; Kermit turned to the dog, somewhat eager to hear the conversation.

"Well, Rowlf, um… I just came to ask you if we could-"

"Lemme guess - you just came here to ask me if you, Bunsen and Beaker could use the printer connected to the ultrasound?" Rowlf said, finishing Pipette's sentence with a guess of random and superior knowledge.

"And save? Is it OK?" she asked, looking at him in sheer desperation as she awaited her much-needed answer.

"Yes, Pipette - it's no problem at all; you, Bunsen and Beaker can go right on ahead." he answered, being honest with his words of generosity; and it was true, what's his is theirs - meaning they all had to share at some point.

"Thank you so much - you have no idea what I've been through to find you." she said, thanking him as well as summarizing her quest out for him.

"Oh, I have something." Rowlf said in response; he's been here ever since the show began so he knew just how confusing and difficult it was to find someone in such a big place.

"Oh, and Kermit?" she asked, turning to the frog.

"Yes, Pipette?" Kermit asked calmly.

"Sorry about coming in on you like this - I know I should've knocked first." she said, apologizing for her rather unexpected entrance.

"It's no trouble at all, Pipette, honestly…" Kermit said before placing his neat stack of papers on the desk in front of him. Kermit then picked up his coffee cup: it was a white, teacup-like thing that had Kermit's name in a black, calligraphic style; and took a sip of the fuelled blend known as coffee before saying, "because, it's not like anyone ever actually tells me that they're coming in - they just enter anyway." he said, resting his cup neatly on the desk after bringing it down from his wet, amphibious, green lips.

"Oh, OK - it's just, I didn't want to interrupt anything important." she said, reinforcing her reasons of apology.

"You really don't have to apologize, Pipette - anyway, shouldn't you be getting back to Bunsen and Beaker; I mean, you've probably been gone for a while, now." he said, looking at her with his trademark eyes; Kermit really thought that she should get back as he knew that Bunsen might be curious as to where she'd been all this time.

"Oh, God - yes. I completely forgot; I suppose I should be getting back, then. Thanks for reminding me, Kermit."

"Not a problem. Now, get a move on quick before Bunsen loses his rag with you." he said, walking up to her, keen to usher her out the door.

"Okay, Kermit - bye!" she said, moving towards the door; the scientist had clearly understood what Kermit meant when he was inching towards her, so she did him a favour - she made a clean move out of his office.

"Bye!" Kermit said in his usually contented tone as he gave her a small wave of his thin, green hand.

"Yeah, bye." Rowlf said, managing to mutter a brief farewell to the female lab assistant as the Muppets watched her walk down the hall.

As Pipette was clear of the corridor that lead to Kermit's office, she realized that she had soon made it backstage and knew that she then had to retreat back to Veterinarian's Hospital. And, soon finding herself passing many of her previous acquaintances; Fozzie Bear, Nigel and the Electric Mayhem, as well as ones she had passed before, including Lew Zealand and Gonzo the Great - Pipette had finally made it to the final destination's door, her mission had been completed.

When she entered the room, she found Bunsen and Beaker had shifted their attention from random aspects of the room to her entrance. Bunsen's stare was quizzical while Beaker's gaze was an interested stare of slight anticipation.

"Why, Pipette - you've actually returned!" he said, absentmindedly flicking through the corners of a random book as he continued talking to her, "And might I ask you about where you've been all this time?"

"Yeah… about that… can I just tell you that I used your advice on not hesitating to ask someone if I got lost?"

"I guess so… who did you ask?"

"Right… first I went to the music room, and I only found Fozzie; so I asked him, and then he said to talk to Nigel; so I did - but I couldn't find him, either. So then I went backstage, thought the Electric Mayhem would be a good idea and asked them; Zoot then directed me to Kermit's office and that is where I found Rowlf the Dog." Pipette said at a ravenous speed, leaning against the door frame as her tired body fell limp.

"I see why it's taken you fifteen minutes just to find one person… but anyway, is it OK to save and print all of what we did on Rowlf's computer?"

"How can I put this? It's not exactly a problem."

"Excellent!" he said, bringing his look over to the print button before pressing it; the electrical vibes of excitement running through the connection as the computer booted up its complex circuitry to carry out the simple task. And within a couple of minutes, an unbent sheet of fresh card escaped the gnarly mechanism of the printer - the picture was ready. Bunsen hadn't even said anything and within seconds of the paper's arrival into the room, Pipette wandered on over to the printer and collected the picture of her best friend's unborn son. She smiled at the innocent print-out; looking at the little, kicking baby boy in the picture, feeling the same way as she did when she found out the gender - it was like her heart jumped into her throat and she couldn't breathe for a moment and Beaker was the only one who could cure her. She stayed emotionally choking for about a minute as she held the printed card, watching Beaker, waiting for him to make himself decent. He managed to sit up despite the presence of his unborn son, who was squirming and kicking recklessly to prevent this. Beaker just tried to ignore the madness within as he dangled his legs over one side of the exam table, getting a tissue and wiping the smooth remains off his bump, gently nursing it as it ached; for his bump felt sore from all that was going on, even as the tapestry of airy blue cotton from his blouse fell upon it.

Soon enough, Pipette had found the strength she needed to pursue the task and sorted herself out emotionally. She remained "choking" as she walked up to Beaker, exhaling sweetly as she passed him the photo, "Here. But still, congratulations, though - it's nice to know that there's gonna be another boy around here." Their hands touched briefly as the card was handed over; and the hope of a cure was found as the tensions collided - Pipette could breathe again.

"Meep." he said, agreeing with her as he took the photo; he then glanced down at his innocent baby son before placing the latter on the side. His inner pain meant that he was clearly not up to words, so instead he thanked her by pulling her into a tight, secure embrace and sighed.

Bunsen, however, just observed the two in awe as an awkward amount of silence cast over the room; looking at them caused a spark to occur somewhere deep inside his mind, unlocking a silent revelation of a true meaning - in other words: he's never seen anyone be so close with anyone else before, it was like there was an amazing chemical bond shining through.

Moments later, as the two assistants broke apart from the hug, Bunsen drifted away from his intricate gaze all of a sudden and then began to adopt a more collected tone as he made a quick save of the file before turning to Beaker and Pipette, "Right, then - maybe it's about time we got back to the lab and finish up here, don't you think?" he asked in a rather rhetorical manner; he really thought that even the simplest tasks took just too long to do today. Beaker and Pipette looked at him and nodded, silently agreeing with him. Bunsen then turned the computer off while Pipette held her hand out to Beaker, subsequently helping him down from the unit; he jumped off as his untucked shirt fell over his belt and dragged down to his crotch, then causing him to tuck it in. As he did so, his clothed appearance seemed less baggy and instead his bump became more visible as the shirt was placed around it. When all was both said and done, Bunsen let them know when they were leaving by silently leading them with a quiet hand signal or two. The three scientists then left the serenity of Veterinarian's Hospital and entered the madness of the corridors, just to get to the calm but lonely atmosphere of the lab. Passing many characters like Dr. Teeth and the Electric Mayhem to Lew Zealand in the midst of chaos, they found that they had soon reached their destination only to be known as the homey Muppet Labs.

As soon as they reached the Lab, Bunsen and his two assistants had opened the door only to find that everything that was there had been untouched for a good twenty minutes; books on the shelves were still sat there collecting dust, the chemicals were still resting in their proper containers, and even the experiment that Bunsen and Pipette were working on had not been affected by the touch of life. When the three scientists had securely entered the room, Bunsen had neatly shut the door as soon as his two assistants got in; Pipette wandered over to the paused experiment while Beaker came in, clutching his stomach - he had been struck with another gnarly kick from the baby as it now seemed that when the baby learnt to do something - he won't stop doing it for a while. The pregnant lab assistant held his sore bump as he watched Bunsen follow Pipette over to the experiment they'd started earlier. Beaker rubbed his swollen belly contentedly as he thought of his unborn son, smiling at the though while at the same time wondering what to do to busy himself. He could only think about how awesome it was to be having a son, but while his thoughts remained on the subject, he did think about how different it would be to have a daughter; all the fuss about make-up, prams and dolls, only to dismiss the matter and consider thinking about how his son might turn out - all football, jokes and music, probably. He then took sight of the room in front of him and soon began to drift into reality, quickly deciding how he could occupy himself - be reviewing the science in some of the Lab's previous inventions. Perfect.

While he still had the idea at least, Beaker began to make his way to one of the shelves that was affixed to the wall; they contained folders of sorts, each with a different colour, and they had in them detailed encounters of previous scientific experiments or inventions. Now Beaker just had to pick a folder: hmmm… there was a purple one with "Banana Sharpener" written up its spine - it was a strange invention and come to think of it, Beaker nearly got impaled by the idea; then there was an orange folder that read "Edible Paperclips" - yeah, like that was a good idea - well, for a while, that is, until Beaker found out he was gonna spend his night under a sewing machine; and finally he cast his eyes over a green folder that read "Copying Machine" - God, the controversy behind that - shame it had a kink in the quantity dial, though - but it was something that Beaker could look back on. The shelf was a little high up, meaning that when he tried to reach for it, it proved that he had trouble supporting both him and the baby, but in the end, he managed. He then stood there, holding the green ring binder in his hands, looking for a place to sit and check the folder out. After about a minute searching, Beaker found the perfect place to sit: at a quiet table that was overrun with books - then all he had to do was either move the books or put them away. Beaker then walked over to the table, moving the books as he wasn't up to putting them away; that little sod inside him was doing a number on his organs.

When he sat down, Beaker plonked the folder on the table and opened it to reveal the invention's introduction; it was basically a brief set of plans and diagrams that had been collectively put into the folder, ultimately leading to the great failure that is the Copying Machine. He read the brief introduction to the folder while nursing his sore belly; the gentle rubbing caused the movement to die down and the baby to drift off to sleep. As he continued through the folder, finishing the introduction and skimming through the further developments, Beaker began to recall the events that happened that day in his mind… 'Yeah, I remember that… God, the day was a bitch, though. I mean, first I try and reason with that damn pig, Miss Piggy - but she just couldn't understand me. And then I went to check out something on the actual machine itself - only to get blinded - and eventually trip and fall into the interior. And Christ, when I got inside though, I mean; I tried to call out but then suddenly I heard the whirring of the mechanism, and as I went to check that out, I heard a zap and then my whole body started to ache - and before I knew it there was eight of me! When we got transported to the lab, I knew it was crowd so me and my seven other copies crawled out of the hole - and boy, did we have a good time chasing Bunsen 'round the theatre all day?" Beaker thought, chuckling mentally as he read on while continuing to keep his calm son, now stirring, at bay from any more kicks.

Beaker then turned the page, as he was mainly struck with a new focus - multiplication: the form of transformation caused when two very different things come together. They could be a needle and thread, a man and a woman, or even a timid lab assistant and a bulk of complicated machinery - all in all; it was there to make something. The new something could be anything, but the new something will always be important and stand proud like the amazing thing it will turn out to become. This new focus lured Beaker into a trance of deep thinking, which caused him to consider matching up the ways of multiplication with his son - and the two _were_ considered very similar, well, at least the numeric factors of multiplication were. Science was just a big mystery, but the only thing that was actually becoming a bit more clear was Beaker's thoughts about his son; and as amazing as that was - Beaker was actually looking foreword to becoming a parent. Completely mesmerised by the thought, Beaker began to think about how it all somehow fitted together… 'Wow, I still can't believe that I'm having this baby… boy - it still freaks me out a bit knowing that I'm gonna have a son, and not a daughter - but this is still just amazing. But my son: he's been kicking me a lot, and moving around loads, too - and I don't think that's a problem, because Bunsen said that the baby is obviously becoming more active as he grows - so I guess that all I can say now is: that's my boy. Heh. Awesome. I just hope that he's gonna stay like this, you know - 'cause I don't want anything to go wrong, I just want him to be OK. But what am I gonna name him, though, 'cause it's not like I have much time - I mean, the baby's gonna be here in like, three months? Well, let's see… he's a boy, so I gotta think of some boy's names, right? Right. So let's think of some names. But there's loads; and I only gotta pick one… and that just seems a bit too difficult - so why not suggest some and go from there? OK, well there's the name Robert - that's kinda nice but maybe something else, like Daniel - or maybe not… Fine, then I guess not everything works then - or could it be that the name might lie something on the lines of… Andrew? Hey, yeah - Andrew - that seems nice; I like it. But… I will give it some more thought when the times comes, though - just in case it doesn't all go to plan…'

Beaker continued to rub his bump, looking a tad more relaxed as he felt the baby within him squirm a bit before gently settling down in a curled-up state. As he did this, he stared at the page; delving into the factors of the element of multiplication… 'Wait, to multiply, you'd need two or more things, right? And when you find them, you watch them get together to make something else, right? Heh, makes me think of the baby - like as in makes me think about what the baby would need - if only the whole thing was switched. Hang on, am I even making sense? Probably not. Anyway, my point is that if I'm going to raise this baby right, I need to have faith that I won't do it alone. I have friends but… the baby doesn't have proper parents: you know, a mom and a dad - he's just got me. But, it's not like I'm desperate or anything, it's just that I've got three months left until I have this baby - and I'm just a little freaked, that's all. But, then again, maybe I don't need somebody to love just yet… when I know I've got my son and my friends to love at the moment… which is nice, but, why do I love my friends? What makes them so awesome to be around? Maybe it's because that they're always here for me and that they like me for who I am. Oh man, do I love them; I love Bunsen, even though he tests everything under the sun on me, and I love Pipette, even though that totally sounded strange… I _love _her… is that what this is? Weird. Pipette is an amazing friend, but using the word "love" just changes everything. Hang on, so if this is _weird _- then, what is she to me?' he pondered, obviously still deep in thought as hr shifted a little, pressing his back as the weight of the baby tended to get a tad uncomfortable from time to time. Beaker thought it was nice to be having a baby, but then again, pregnancy did have one or two painful setbacks; nevertheless, Beaker still tried his best to support the baby, even as his mind soon dragged him back into realms of mindless thought… 'Heh, what does she mean to me? It's a hard question to answer, but it kind of gets me thinking… about how close we are, and how sweet she sounds when she says she'll be there - and, oh man, what is this feeling? But, man, do I love her… for all that? Strange. That time it didn't sound weird. Maybe, that's it. Maybe, it's love. Maybe I love her…' he thought, staring down at the green folder's page blankly; Beaker was completely silently, he didn't know what to think. He could only blink a few times before exhale and shifting back to his original position as he felt his baby squirm and change positions, too.

Meanwhile, as Pipette stood over at the table with Bunsen, working on the experiment with him, it looked pretty clear that she had something on her mind. The female scientist watched as Bunsen set up another beaker, filling it with water and setting it atop a blue-flamed Bunsen burner. She observed him carefully as he picked up a small bottle of blue dye and gently shook the contents; the substance was as blue as Zoot's remaining hair and stained the glass as it swished around like a miniature whirlpool. When he was sure the water was the right temperature, Bunsen unscrewed the bottle's top and pulled it out, revealing an attached pipette that was congested with the blue dye. He then squeezed two drops into the beaker of frenzied water, and the two of them watched the colours unravel in awe; a mix of shaded blues swam out into the clear liquid like ribbons undoing in a vast rush to escape from their previous, tight-knitted home. Her eyes surveyed the epic blue explosion, watching it cool and settle gently before resting in the water like shaded rags dying in a light wind. She fixed her gaze on the state and gave it a focused stare, the thought had settled as she started to consider reflecting on her life as she knew it, 'Wow, what a day - and a confusing one at that. I mean, stuff has just been forming from other stuff, and collecting dust because I just don't know what to bloody-well do about it all! My life is screwed! I-I'm just so overwhelmed with… feelings. Feelings that change my life and don't let me know what they mean. Feelings that make my heart beat faster than I planned and make me go all weird and jittery. Feelings that make me want to explore… all the way, and that have to - stop! Stop…' she thought, contemplating her emotions as she stared at the experiment in front of her; she could feel her eyes welling up slightly, but she couldn't cry - she could only think more… The female scientist sighed as her eyes moved from the experiment to Beaker; she watched him as he felt the baby give him a slight kick, he was also smiling slightly because he knew it was typical of his son to start kicking at a random time. Seeing this made Pipette feel like thinking about how awesome her life was at the time, 'Aww… Beaker seems so relaxed lately - I wonder how he's gonna get on, now that he's got a little boy to look after - I just think it's pretty amazing. I mean, it's nice to find peace every now and then, and it is even nicer to see someone you really care about actually experience something so easy-going and calm. He's just so different now, because back then he was so tense and nervous - and now he's not so on-edge; maybe because of the baby, maybe it's just a prenatal thing…' she thought, looking down towards the colourful dye mixtures that lay in front of her and Bunsen. Her eye caught another beaker on the table, but this time it was clear - like it was about to be tested on with a rather diabolical-looking mix of purple dye and hydrochloric acid. The female scientist looked at the container with wide eyes as she watched the mixture drop in - observing it as the dye exploded like a ribbon from a cannon and fizzed like some kind of incompatible solution as it refused to play nicely with the other substance. Her eyes gave a quick blink before her mind trailed back off again, '… and it's not like I don't care. Because I do care - about him - a lot.' she sighed a heavy sigh as she watched the intolerable concoction settle to form a tired pool of purple, bubbly liquid around the bottom of the half-emptied beaker, 'And if I care about him, then I should maybe think of a few names for the baby. And even if we don't use them, the only thing that matters is that I cared enough to contribute some. Now - names… boy's names… oh, God. I mean, there's Andrew - that's nice. Or Michael - that's a pretty good one. Or… um, now it's getting hard - Andrew and Michael are the only ones I got. Wow, and I thought choosing boy's names would be easy - but I guess it's a lot harder than it looks when it comes to parental terms. I mean, it's not like I'm the one having the baby; I'm just a friend, and nothing more. No, seriously though, Beaker's the pregnant one - he's the one that should be considering baby names - not me. Now I feel useless, in a sense - like I need to feel a part of his life - I don't know why - but it feels wrong to stray away from him emotionally.' Her eyes watched the settled fizz and went from a concerned, glassy stare to a sarcastic pool of emotions as she thought, '…And now we're back to the feelings - God, this is gonna be tough. I mean, I _really_ don't know about this feeling. It's like I want to be with him all the time, I but every time I try I tend to shy away - even though my heart is for some reason screaming against it. And now I've noticed, what with the serious attitude change in Beaker, that things aren't as awkward anymore; like I don't feel as weird as I did before when I hug Beaker now, and how I don't always feel like throwing up when I go to hold his hand anymore. It's all changed.' Pipette looked at Beaker in a sort of wistful way; like she longed for a secure way to stop her painful emotions of confusion and despair, as she made one final thought, 'God, I hope only if it's gonna change - it changes for the better - and that I find my emotions for what they are. I hope it happens soon, though - because I just want a feeling I can be happy with; instead of a load that I'm confused about." the female scientist thought as she turned her head away from Beaker and blushed; she really needed to know what was going on, and she desperately needed to know before the baby arrives.

As the rest of the day passed, everyone in the lab knew that at least _something_ in the next month was going to back up something totally life-changing. Mixed feelings were the same for everyone - yet different, in a way; Beaker thought he was in love, Pipette felt lost, and Bunsen just felt happy that everything was going smoothly. In all, life was not going to take anyone by storm in the next month, but things were definitely going to change - not in the dyer sense of deterioration, but the gradual sense of development. So in all fairness, things were just going to become stranger - only for all this suspense to soon pay off.

**A/N: Hi, guys - I'm back with another one! And I hope you enjoyed it… for the next chapter will be far from ordinary - as it will be yet another point of view chapter, but don't worry, because it will just mean more appreciation (and more fun had) towards writing for the others, which are, in my opinion, probably feeling a bit left out at the moment. Anywho, byesie-daisies - and see you next time! **


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